TEACHES: ESL: ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN BUSINESS and ADVANCED CONVERSATION

Wendy Trach has been teaching ESL/English for over eleven years. In addition to teaching Au Pair Experience courses at BMCC, she teaches in the Language Immersion Program at a CUNY school in Brooklyn during the week. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and mass communication from the University of Florida, a master's degree in English education from Queens College, and a Cambridge University CELTA certificate. Wendy loves working with students and exploring language, literature, culture, and life.

TEACHES: PRACTICAL PSYCHOLOGY: CONFLICT RESOLUTION and ELMENTS OF MINDFULNESS AND ART THERAPY

Katharine Ernst is a holistic, trauma-informed psychotherapist working in her native New York City. She received her Bachelor of Art in Fine Art from Hunter College, and then obtained her Master of Social Work at Silberman School with a focus on clinical practice with individuals, families, and small groups, and a concentration in Global Social Work. Currently, Katharine works at a boutique group therapy practice, and previously has done extensive work around intersectionality and trauma-informed therapy with non-profits across New York City and abroad.

TEACHES: HARLEM RENAISSANCE IN WASHINGTON DC and WOMEN of the COLD WAR

After getting her Master’s Degree in International Relations from American University, Katie Kirkpatrick joined the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs for the State Department. However, history was always her first love. She founded her own historical walking tours company with a mission to introduce local residents and visitors to under-represented aspects of Washington, DC history. Outside of the United States, Katie has taught in Paris and Istanbul and is delighted to be teaching international students in her beloved Washington, DC.

TEACHES: SELF CARE TOOLBOX FOR AU PAIRS

Alicia Giordano received her MA in Applied Educational Psychology Reading Specialist at Columbia University as well as a Master’s degree in Educational Theatre from NYU. Alicia is a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) with over 20 years of personal practice.

Alicia is passionate about advocating for children with special needs and is currently serving a two-year appointment in the State of Texas as a Member of the Continuing Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education.

TEACHES: FOOD AS MEMOIR, DC 111 PLACES, DC: GIRL POWER!, DC: A CAPITAL IN CONSTANT CHANGE

Andrea Seiger, author of "111 Places in Washington, DC You Must Not Miss", is an educator and world traveler who has lived in Washington DC for 31 years. She has lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has traveled thousands of miles on the Mayan Route of Mexico. Ms. Seiger loves to road trip around the Mid-Atlantic US and beyond.

TEACHES: ELEMENTS OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Cornelia Hediger received her BFA and MFA from Rutgers University, where she trained as a visual and conceptual artist. With a background in painting, Hediger transitioned into photo-based-media work, ranging from traditional black and white film photography, to color images, handmade photomontages to more complex photomontages. Today, Hediger divides her time between her art practice and teaching.

Her work has been reviewed and featured in a number of publications including GLAMOUR Magazine, PHOTONEWS, GEOkompakt, SHOTS Magazine, BLINK, The Wall Street Journal, ARTE, Photo Technique, PHOTO+, HotShoe, SNOCKS, Visura Magazine, New York Magazine, Vision Magazine, Float Photo Magazine,

In addition to an extensive list of exhibits around the globe, Cornelia Hediger’s work can be found in several private collections in the US, Japan, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the United Kingdom.

TEACHES: ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: CONFIDENCE COMBO FOR CAREERS

Elizabeth Marner-Brooks the English Pronunciation coach at the United Nations and an Associate Professor at The New School for Public Engagement, where she teaches Listening/Speaking, Pronunciation, and Reading. Elizabeth has created and taught courses in Presentations, Public Speaking, “Acting for Non-Actors”, and “Be Assertive: Speak Up & Speak Out” for The New School.

During her career as a professional actor and public speaker, Elizabeth represented major corporations, Fortune 500 companies, and CBS Television Network throughout the United States.

TEACHES: ENGLISH CONVERSATION

With over 15 years of ESL teaching experience, Alexis Tenenbaum is energetic, compassionate, and excited to both teach and learn from her students. She has a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Liverpool and a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from American University. Alexis has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and is passionate about travel.

TEACHES: SAN FRANCISCO

After completing a BS in Education at Texas Christian University, Kate Krumrei taught English as a Second Language at the International Newcomers Academy in Fort Worth, Texas for three years. She then decided to hit the road as a backpacker and traveling English teacher. Shortly thereafter she finished a Masters degree in Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs at American University in Washington D.C. She has worked and volunteered in numerous foreign countries including, India, Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire. After working with the Danish Refugee Council and Search for Common Ground, she returned to teaching English – first with young adults, and then back to her roots with newcomers! When she’s not doing all that, she’s loving life in the Bay Area!

TEACHES: MIAMI: SUSTAINABILITY AND CULTURE

Mariusz Galczynski is an education researcher and specialist in multicultural and international education. Although he has traversed the globe to present his scholarly work, he is proud to call Miami home. By day, he works as a secondary English Language Arts teacher at a high school in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. Outside of the classroom, he loves to explore the best of what Miami has to offer: its tropical environment, thriving arts scene, and diverse, vibrant communities. (photo by Danny Santiago)

TEACHES: AMERICAN PRESIDENTS: POP CULTURE TO POLITICAL

Becca is a native Texan whose annual childhood treks to D.C. resulted in a lifelong love of our nation's capital. After graduating from Randolph-Macon Woman's College (now Randolph College), she's pursued a decades-long career in public history and tourism.

Becca can be seen on Mysteries at the Museum on the Travel Channel, is a host and researcher for the Tour Guide Tell All podcast, and has been featured in local press outlets such as DCist, WAMU, Washingtonian, Washington City Paper, and more.

She is also the co-author of the 111 Places in Women's History in Washington, DC That You Must Not Miss guidebook, published in 2021.

TEACHES: NEW ORLEANS: ARTS, ACTIVISM, AND CELEBRATION

After earning her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Louisiana and teaching English and Special Education, Libby Bollino found her real passion was for teaching the history and culture of New Orleans. She has been guiding BMCC Au Pair Experience students through the extraordinary French-American, Cajun, and Creole stories since 2016. Libby is the founding owner of Lucky Bean Tours.

TEACHES: TOEFL PREPARATION

Mario Souza has a Master’s degree in TESOL from Hunter College. He has written questions for the TOEFL exam and has been a grader for the exam — so nobody knows TOEFL like Mario. He has been teaching ESL and EFL in the United States and overseas for more than 20 years. He is an important part of the CUNY Language Immersion Program at Laguardia college where he focuses on reading and composition. When not teaching, Mario loves reading, writing, and traveling.

TEACHES: CHILDHOOD LITERACY AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT

Sara Lenore is a Teacher and Reading Specialist. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Boston University and her Master's Degree in Literacy from Pace University. She has a TEFL Certificate from her studies in Peru and has taught English as a Second Language to children, adolescents and adults. Sara has been working with Learning Across America for nearly four years and loves it!

BMCC Au Pair Experience Manager

Contact Stephanie at: aupair@bmcc.cuny.edu

BMCC Au Pair Experience Academic Coordinator