Expanish Study Abroad Team and Support Staff

I was born in Buenos Aires but raised in England, South Korea, and the US. I moved to Buenos Aires in 2001 after completing graduate school to teach writing and literature here at the National University of San Martin. I have spent most of my career as an instructor and administrator at the university level though I have also worked as a journalist, translator, writer, and editor. I am married to a porteña who is ferociously loyal to her home city. We have a 4-year-old daughter named Emma.

I was born in Chicago's north suburbs where I caught the travel bug at age 13 after participating in several cultural immersion programs in Europe. At 16, I discovered "Amigos de Las Americas" a nonprofit organization that enabled me to work and live in small communities in Honduras and Mexico. Those unique experiences sparked in me an intense interest in Latin American culture and the Spanish language, and I continued my education with a degree in Political Science and Latin American studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I spent two semesters abroad studying at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad Católica Argentina and was fortunate enough to then spend another year working and backpacking across South America. Most of my professional experience has enabled me to work in an international educational setting, and I am ecstatic to be back in Argentina, working with people from all around the world.

I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (or to people from outside of the United States, Chicago) and studied Economics at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. During my time in college, I spent a semester studying in Barcelona, Spain where I developed my passion for the Spanish language and learning about other cultures. After graduating, I spent a year and a half working for a medical supply company before taking a gigantic leap in my life and buying a one-way ticket to Buenos Aires in my quest to become fluent in Spanish, travel around the country and "live while I'm young"

I was born in Buenos Aires, but spent 6 years of my childhood in Mar de las Pampas, a beautiful beach 400 km away from this city. I combined high school years with private classes and then decided to study Education at the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

I have worked in education at various levels: elementary, high school and university, working with teachers, creating innovative teaching methods as well as collaborating in the improvement of them.

Years ago I had the opportunity to travel abroad and realized that nowadays frontiers have opened and the interchange of different cultures and languages, allow us to enrich our knowledge, not only from the academic point of view, but also in our personal experiences.

At Expanish I found a place where I can combine my aspirations and expectations. I always believe that education goes beyond passing over knowledge. Here the students can learn the language through new perspective of language courses where they can live the experience of our culture.

I was born in San Miguel de Tucumán, a very small province in the north of Argentina, but it is extremely beautiful! I have lived in Buenos Aires since 1997 so I'm half porteña. For the last five years I have been studying Literature and Linguistics in Universidad de Buenos Aires. I specialize in Russia Literature, for that reason recently I started studying Russian. I started working in Expanish as an Spanish teacher, then I helped with the classes coordination, now I'm academic coordinator, I'm in charge of all the academic area of Expanish.

Born and raised in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, (southern coast below Buenos Aires) I was the youngest child of the family. I graduated university with a degree in Industrial Organization, and I also took courses of Literature, Design, and Psychology. After I graduated university, I moved to Buenos Aires. I have an extensive experience in administrative and accounting jobs working for different organizations such as banks, big and small businesses and NGOs (charity and educational foundation). I love learning languages, making handcrafts, spending time with friends and drinking "mate".

I studied Business Economics at the Torcuato Di Tella University, during which time I also worked on fundraising and public relations for the Fundación Iniciativa, promoting youth participation in society. After graduation, I worked as a Business Consultant at Proguide, and then spent time working and traveling overseas, mainly in New Zealand and Southeast Asia, where I worked in Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and as a Coordinator at the Auckland City Council. I helped found Expanish after returning from my travels, as a result of my experiences abroad.

Born in the north of Argentina and raised in Buenos Aires, my parents encouraged me to undertake my own projects from a young age and gave me my first opportunities to travel and explore new places. Once I got older, I studied Economics in college and went on to receive a Masters in Finance (I obviously love numbers!). After graduation, I worked on government research projects looking at public debt and for Price Waterhouse Coopers as a business consultant. During this time I did some traveling abroad, and realized that being truly immersed in different cultures is an invaluable experience that profoundly changes the way we think, letting us view the world through a different lens. We created Expanish with the hope of helping others realize this experience.

I was born in Australia but I have lived in the United Kingdom since I was very young. I studied Business & Finance in university, which lead me to working for a medical insurance company for 5 years in the Sales & Marketing department. I took a career break and spent 6 months working on the Greek island of Zakythos as a holiday representative for tourists before returning to the UK to work in Sales & Marketing again for a distributor and installer of big screen televisions and plasmas in bars & clubs. I was in need of another career break and took myself off backpacking around Latin America. I have now been living in Buenos Aires for 1 1/2 years.

I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. However, I can summarize my growing up as "a tale of two cities", spending my time between Buenos Aires and New York, as half my family always lived in both places. I graduated from University of Buenos Aires in Communication and then studied Strategic Marketing at St. Andrew's University. I also started to become an English teacher, but in the middle I realized that I loved learning languages, not teaching them! I started out as a journalist, later worked in fundraising Marketing, and then specialized in Internet Marketing and Institutional Communication for very different industries such as NGO's, Consultancy organizations, PR agencies, and international lodging companies, helping them to develop great Marketing and Communication strategies.

I also love reading and writing fiction, dancing Tango and spending time with my friends, family and beloved ones.

I was born in Australia. I hold both Australian and North American citizenship so I've spent much of my life travelling between the two countries and living and working in both.

After graduating from university with degrees in naturopathy and health science, I worked for leading nutraceutical companies in Australia and the United States. I expanded my experience by working in administration at a Health Faculty in an Australian university.

My passion for Latin America was sparked after a mission trip to Mexico and I've spent all my vacation time in a Latin American country ever since. It has always been a dream to live in a Latin American country and to speak Spanish fluently. I finally took the leap and am now living in Buenos Aires!

My name is Andrea Podestá and I was born and raised in Buenos Aires. In 2008 I lived in Marco Island for almost one year working for an important beach resort, and now I am currently studying Hotel Management at the Universidad Abierta Interamericana in Buenos Aires. I love working at Expanish because it gives me the chance to interact with people from other countries who have a different culture and language than my own and I am able to learn so much about the world this way!

I am from Portland, Oregon and I am a great admirer of the Pacific Northwest. I graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington where I studied Foreign Languages and Literatures. During my junior year, I studied abroad here in Buenos Aires and, like many of my co-workers, fell in love with the city and people. After graduating, I moved back to work and live. I have now been here for over 3 years working in international education by teaching languages, advising students, marketing programs and admissions.