English Skills Learning Center

Catherine Barnhart, Executive Director, has a MS in Education Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. She has over 20 years experience working with international and minority students in higher education, and has directed numerous volunteers and students in non-profit education programs.

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Rachel Blackmer, Associate Director, has a BA in English literature from Brigham Young University. She has several years of experience teaching ESL, French, and Special Education classes.

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Beth Garstka, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, has her BA in Humanities with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural Relations with a focus in Southeast Asian countries.  She is currently pursing a Master's Degree in Education, Culture and Society at the University of Utah. She has taught English in Japan and speaks Japanese.

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Sarah Flanigan, Empowering Parents Coordinator, has her BA in English and Music from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. After completing her TESOL training in the Czech Republic, she stayed to teach at a language school in Prague.

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Ashley Janssen, One-on-One Tutoring Coordinator, has a BA in English and Spanish with a teaching license from the University of Minnesota, Morris. She has spent time living and teaching English in Chile, Thailand, Japan, and the USA and has enjoyed learning about different cultures while traveling and teaching. She speaks Spanish. 

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Alison Hoyer, Americorps VISTA Small Group Class Coordinator, has a BA in Linguistics from Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. She speaks Brazilian Portuguese, which she acquired through immersion during a Rotary Youth Exchange to Florianópolis.

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Ahmad Zia Afzali, Citizenship Coordinator, has a BA in Law and Political Science from Kabul University in Afghanistan. He worked with several non-profit organizations in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2010. He is an Afghan immigrant, living in Utah since June 2010. He is fluent in Farsi and English.

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Mark Lowe, Citizenship Outreach Specialist ,has a BA in History with an emphasis in United States History and a minor in business from BYU. He has experience in ESL instruction, history tutoring, and special education. He is fluent in Spanish.

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Kristy Flanders, Workplace Literacy Coordinator, has a BA in International Relations with a minor in TESOL from BYU. She has lived for short periods of time in Russia, China, Belgium and Ecuador, and enjoys learning about other cultures and countries. She speaks Spanish and French and has several years of experience teaching English to a variety of ages and levels.

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Catharine Preston, Workplace and Research Instructor, has a TEFL certificate, as well as a certificate in reading and spelling instruction. She has taught English abroad in Indonesia and in New Zealand. She has a degree in Culinary Arts, and is looking forward to pursuing a BA in Communications in September of 2012.

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Diane Kimura, Workplace and Research Instructor, has a BA in Applied Linguistics with a minor in Japanese from the University of Utah and is TESOL certified. She studied international relations at Waseda University in Tokyo for one year and taught English in Tokyo for four years. She is fluent in Japanese.

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Matt Bryce, Computer Lab Instructor, has studied languages since junior high and studied Chinese on a University of Utah study abroad, though he graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in economics. He started teaching ESL as a volunteer with the ESL Center nearly four years ago and has a TESOL certificate.

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