Language Stars Teachers
Language Stars recruits the best, brightest, and most energetic teachers from more than 20 countries around the world. Only 1 in 50 applicants becomes a Language Stars teacher.
Teachers are chosen for their experience in educating children and for their enthusiasm, and they are trained extensively in Language Stars FunImmersion® methodology.
Learn about our teachers in Chicago and Washington DC.
Chicago Area Teachers
Amine AirakiSpanish Teacher
Native of Al Hoceima, Morocco
Extensive experience teaching elementary aged students in Spanish and other. Fluent in English, Spanish, Arabic, French, and Amazigh.
Fouad AirakiFrench Teacher
Native of Al Hoceima, Morocco
Speaks five languages—Berber, French, Arabic, Spanish, and English—and has years of experience tutoring in Math and French as well as teaching Tae Kwon Do to elementary aged students.
Elizabeth Alvarez Spanish Teacher
Native of Mexico
Former Physician with extensive experience in pediatrics. Passionate and experienced foreign language educator.
Carlos Arango Spanish Teacher
Native of Colombia
Extensive teaching experience with elementary school aged children with a focus on Spanish and English. Fluent in English and proficient in French.
Alma Ascencio Spanish Teacher
Native of Mexico
10 years prior experience working with young children. An instrumental pioneer of our Flossmoor center since 2003. Raising her son bilingually.
Edwin BarreraSpanish Teacher
Raised bilingually in the United States
BA in Spanish Literature from University of Chicago. Has led Language Stars' Spanish programs since 1999. Leader of Language Stars' teacher training. Click to see his video.
Janeth BarreraSpanish Teacher
Native of Colombia
Experienced cultural liaison to international students living in Colombia. Degree in marketing with a passion for helping children learn.
Maria BernaldoSpanish Teacher
Native of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Over 13 years of teaching English as a second language to children. Passionate about sharing native language with American children.
Silvia BolascoItalian Teacher
Native of Rome, Italy
Has a degree in Modern Languages and Communication with a minor in Spanish, Anthropology and Sociology. Extensive experience with children from tutoring, babysitting and working as a student's assistant.
Heike BrinkmannGerman Teacher
Native of Schuelinstr, Germany
Has more than 13 years of experience teaching in a bilingual setting, and is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Teaching.
Isaias CairampomaSpanish Teacher
Native of Peru
Extensive experience working with children, as well as his native language. Furthered his passion for Spanish Language and Literature by attending collegiate courses.
Liliana CastellanosSpanish Teacher
Native of Colombia
Extensive experience teaching Spanish and English to young children in Colombia and the United States. Has led Language Stars programs since the summer of 2003.
Yolanda ChairezSpanish Teacher
Native of Aguascalientes, Mexico
Three years of experience teaching and working with children. Studied theater for children.
Jo ChengMandarin Teacher
Native of Taipei, Taiwan
Years of experience teaching to students of all ages around the world. Graduated from Tokyo University Magna Cum Laude and pursuing a Masters at Murray State University.
Yue ChenMandarin Teacher
Native of Beijing, China
Earned a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Fine Arts. Extensive experience teaching art to children of all ages.
Anne-Carole DimierFrench Teacher
Native of Chambéry, France
Extensive experience teaching English and French to children of all ages. Holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics and teaching French as a second language.
Awatif DoubajFrench Teacher
Raised and schooled in French in native Morocco
Experienced preschool and art teacher holding a French teaching certificate. Passionate and practiced Language Stars teacher committed to teaching French to young children.
Julieta FallaSpanish Teacher
Native of Guatemala
Successfully organized tours and educational programs for children and adults in a Guatemalan art and cultural museum. Extensive experience working with young children as a nanny and elementary school teacher.
Vanessa FeuersteinGerman Teacher
Native of Germany
Born in Mumbai, India, but raised in Germany. Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Western Michigan University. Experience teaching Life Skills to Middle School students as well as Family Consumer Science to High School students.
Fabiana GarroSpanish Teacher
Native of Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña, Argentina
Masters Degree in Education with a concentration languages. Over 15 years of experience teaching children in prestigious elementary schools in Argentina.
Monica GuerreroSpanish Teacher
Native of Chicago, IL
Over six years of experience working with children as an Au Pair. Experience working in a classroom environment with elementary aged children.
Daniel Alarcon HewittSpanish Teacher
Native of Chile
Earned his Bachelors Degree in Teaching from the prestigious Universidad de Concepcion. Over six years of experience teaching English to children and adults of all ages.
Viviane LeBorgneFrench Teacher
Native of Nantes, France
Helped prepare students for the French foreign language exam through reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities. Fluent in French, German and English.
Heidi LiMandarin Teacher
Native of Shanghai, China
Extensive experience teaching at the Shanghai International School. Over 3 years of teaching math to young children in China.
William LiMandarin Teacher
Native of Beijing, China
Multiple years of experience teaching English to young children in China. Enthusiastic about sharing his native language and culture to American children.
Ling LiuMandarin Teacher
Native of China
Received a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree in Chinese Literature and pedagogy from the prestigious Hubei College of Education. Multiple years of experience teaching young children in China.
Leonardo LondonoSpanish Teacher
Native of Manizales, Colombia
Obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Modern Languages from the University of Caldas. Extensive experience teaching English and French to young children.
Luz Elena MendietaSpanish Teacher
Native of Manizales, Colombia
Obtained Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Caldas. Over 6 years of teaching English to young children in Colombia.
Sandor MenendezSpanish Teacher
Native of Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Led youth groups in theater classes for four years. Experience teaching in his native country.
Veronique MichelFrench Teacher
Native of France
Passionate about sharing the French language with children of all ages. Has over three years of teaching experience.
Barbara MontanariItalian Teacher
Native of Reggio Emilia, Italy
Earned a degree in Foreign Language and English, Spanish and Russian Literatures from the University of Bologna. Extensive experience tutoring elementary school children and coaching a youth basketball league in her native country.
Fatima Monton-PlataSpanish Teacher
Native of Valladolid, Spain
Obtained Bachelor’s Degree in Pedagogy from University of Salamanca. Extensive experience teaching English to children.
Celeste NunezSpanish Teacher
Native of Guanajuato, Mexico
Extensive experience tutoring Spanish students at Illinois Wesleyan University. Fluent in English and Spanish, proficient in French, and basic knowledge of Japanese.
Matthew PhillipsonFrench Teacher
Native of Brest, France
Speaks three languages - French, German and English. Extensive experience teaching French to elementary aged students abroad.
Claudio RabadanSpanish Teacher
Passionate about teaching his native language and culture to children. Enjoys teaching Latin American folk dance to children. Pursuing a B.A. in Bilingual and Bicultural Elementary Education from Northeastern Illinois University.
Stefano RedaelliItalian Teacher
Native of Lecco, Italy
Extensive experience teaching English and Italian to young children. Fluent in Italian and English, proficient in French and Russian.
Alexis RodriguezSpanish Teacher
Native of Bogota, Colombia
Extensive experience as au pair to 3 young children between the ages of 1 and 7. Experienced in teaching reading, writing and art to children in her native country.
Alfonso RuizSpanish Teacher
Native of Madrid, Spain
Has over nine years experience teaching Spanish and English to both Spanish and American chidren. Extensive experience teaching in a language immersion environment.
Oskar SanchezSpanish Teacher
Native of Bogota, Colombia
Received a BA in Pedagogy from the Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga in Colombia. Has over four years experience teaching music and language to young children.
Jeniffer SerranoSpanish Teacher
Extensive experience as an au pair for three young children between the ages of 4 and 11. Passionate about sharing her native language to American children through the FunImmersion method.
Lourdes ShanjaniSpanish Teacher
Native of San Domingo, Dominican Republic
Speaks Spanish and English and continues to be passionate about languages. Enthusiastic about the FunImmersion method and excited to share her love of language to children.
Nina SturzebecherGerman Teacher
Native of Hannover, Germany
Extensive experience teaching English and Mathematics to young children in her native country. Speaks three languages – German, French and English.
Winni SunMandarin Teacher
Native of Taoyuan, Taiwan
Received a Master's Degree in Bilingual Education from the University of Findlay in Ohio. Over 10 years experience teaching young children.
Mercedes UrenaSpanish Teacher
Native of Zacatecas, Mexico
Currently studying Early Childhood Education at Triton College. Extensive experience working as Au Pair for two children.
Tatiana VirgilioSpanish Teacher
Native of Bogota, Colombia
Experience working as an au pair to American children. Excited to teach her native language through the FunImmersion method.
Maria Antonia VasquezSpanish Teacher
Native of Manizales, Colombia
Earned a degree in Modern Languages and a Masters in English Didactics Teaching experience with elementary aged school children.
Clarisa VelaSpanish Teacher
Native of Iquitos, Peru
Earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the prestigious Marcelino Champagnant University. Has over 8 years of experience teaching young children. English and Spanish in the United States and Peru.
Mauricio VillamizarSpanish Teacher
Native of Bogota, Colombia
Extensive teaching experience in second language education Awarded “World Class Teacher” designation by the Instituto Superior Cooperative in 2006.
Emilio VrdoljakSpanish Teacher
Previous director of language school in native Argentina, with over 10 years of teaching experience. Passionate about helping young children learn foreign language.
Mijia WangMandarin Teacher
Native of Harbin, China
Extensive experience teaching Mandarin, and has been awarded for her great teaching skills with awards like “Outstanding Teacher” by prestigious programs.
Min-I WangMandarin Teacher
Native of Changhua, Taiwan
Over five years of experience teaching young children English. Excited to share her native language with American children.
Katherine WilsonSpanish Teacher
Native of Granada, Nicaragua, and raised in Costa Rica
Successfully led multiple educational initiatives for young children at Radio Arte, a community radio station in Chicago.
Cherry YuMandarin Teacher
Native of China
Over 16 years of teaching experience with both American and Chinese students.
YujiaMandarin Teacher
Native of Yi County, Liaoning Province, China
Over 10 years of experience teaching Mandarin and English to students of all ages. Extensive experience translating and interpreting English and Mandarin at a higher education level.
Jenny ZamoraSpanish Teacher
Native of Bogota, Colombia
Obtained Bachelor's Degree in Bilingual Education from the University of Francisco Jose in Bogota, Colombia. Extensive experience as au pair to three young children.
Washington DC Area Teachers
Karina AbadSpanish Teacher
Native of Lima, Peru
Over 11 years of teaching experience in Spanish and English to both American and Peruvian children. Six years of experience teaching at Language Stars using the FunImmersion method.
Johanna BarrantesSpanish Teacher
Native of Lima, Peru
Currently completing Bachelors degree in French and Italian language and literature from University of Illinois Chicago. Passionate about helping children grow up in a multicultural environment and become multilingual individuals.
Mike HelfmannGerman Teacher
Native of Bielefeld, Germany
Eight years of experience in teaching elementary school teachers. A member of the American Federation of Teachers.
Monica Lorena JimenezSpanish Teacher
Native of Manizales, Colombia
Extensive teaching experience working with young children with a focus on English. Excited about using teh FunImmersion method to teach Language Stars children!
Miriam JaimeSpanish Teacher
Native of Monterrey, Mexico
Extensive experience teaching English to elementary and middle school ages children. Obtained a Bachelors Degree in Applied Linguistics focusing on English Language Didactics.
Hayat LimouniFrench Teacher
Native of Toulouse, France
Speaks 4 languages—French, Arabic, English, and Berber—and has extensive experience working with and supporting at-risk children. Hayat is thrilled to be able to apply her love of languages and working with children to Language Stars programs.
Jenny LiuMandarin Teacher
Native of Dalian, China
Earned a Masters of Special Education from George Mason University. Years of extensive experience teaching and tutoring elementary aged students in Chinese, Math and Language Arts.
Zullmira MijeteMandarin Teacher
Native of Nanjing, China
Extensive experience tutoring elementary aged children the English Language. Is tri-lingual – speaks English, Turkish, and Mandarin Chinese.
Claudia MoncayoSpanish Teacher
Native of Quito, Ecuador
Speaks Spanish, French and English. Excited to apply her skills to the FunImmersion method and Langauge Stars students.
Carmen PerezSpanish Teacher
Native of Caracas, Venezuela
Extensive experience teaching Spanish to children and adults. Excited to apply her skills to the FunImmersion method and Language Stars students!
AnaCe QuintazziSpanish Teacher
Native of Lima, Peru
Experience teaching kindergarten and elementary school students, and 3 years of experience teaching at Language Stars using the FunImmersion method.
Fadila RakeneFrench Teacher
Native of Azazga Tizi Ouzou, Algeria
Speaks French, Arabic, Berber and English. Has experience working with students of all ages, both in a classroom environment and privately.
Tong ZhanMandarin Teacher
Native of Tianjin, China
Experience teaching young children in ESL programs. Excited to share her native language with American children through the FunImmersion method.
Shirley ZhangMandarin Teacher
Native of Dalian, China
Speaks Mandarin, Japanese and English. Experience in teaching and working with elementary aged children. Currently working towards completing a Masters of Education from George Mason University.
Xiaoxi ZhangMandarin Teacher
Native of Xi'an, China
Extensive experience teaching her native language to children and adults. Passionate about sharing her love of languages to children.
