Amy comes to Xperitas with more than 14 years of experience in community and donor relations and a passion for making the world a better place. She is excited about working with under-resourced students and schools to ensure that Xperitas’ cultural and language immersion experiences are accessible to all.
Ashley earned her Bachelors degree in Spanish and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and studied abroad in Vallodolid, Spain. She has worked with the Spanish-speaking community for five years and is able to speak Spanish fluently. She has a passion for travel and giving back to the community. Through Rotary International she has been able to combine both passions, including a service trip to Guatemala in 2016. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys reading and spending time with her friends and family.
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Brooke studied International Affairs at The George Washington University while working in the Office of Innovation at Peace Corps headquarters. From 2016 to 2018, she served in the Peace Corps as a Community Economic Development volunteer in Paraguay. In her small town, Brooke taught computers, professional development, and entrepreneurship to students of all ages. Among the many things she brought home from Paraguay were fluency in Spanish and a beloved street cat named Birdy.
Casey graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in English Literature, and then began traveling and working in the tourism industry. He recently earned his Masters in Creative Writing from Hamline University. He writes short fiction in his spare time and also enjoys reading, pop culture, video games, and exploring the world with his family.
Courtney has a passion for international travel and learning about world cultures and is pleased to work for an organization that provides these opportunities for others. After spending time in France while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree, she understands the immeasurable value of being in the foreign country while learning the language.
Debby has worked in the travel industry for over 35 years. While growing up, her family hosted an exchange student from Israel and she has replicated this experience for her children by hosting a student from France. In her free time, Debby likes to travel and hike in the mountains.
Emily earned her undergraduate degree in Spanish and Ethnic and Racial studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Masters degree in International Education from the Universidad de Alcala de Henares in Spain. Emily has spent a total of six years living abroad, five in Spain and one in Colombia, where she taught English, continued her studies, and became fluent in Spanish. A traveling fanatic, she has been to over 23 countries and counting. In her spare time, she loves cooking (and eating), photography, spending time with family and friends, and exploring.
Emma was born in St. Paul and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Family Social Science and Spanish. She spent five years in Costa Rica teaching English and serving as an Admissions Counselor. Emma speaks Spanish fluently, loves taking pictures and enjoys road trips!
After graduating from the University of La Crosse Wisconsin with a degree in Spanish and Geography, Jenny spent one year volunteering in Ecuador. She spent eight years in Spain where she taught English and opened her own English Academy. Jenny speaks Spanish fluently and loves travelling, spending time with friends and being active.
Jenny graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Global Studies and can speak Mandarin Chinese, Chaozhou (a dialect of Chinese), Vietnamese and English. She is passionate about engaging people to learn world cultures and become global citizens. Jenny enjoys traveling, eating seafood, and camping.
Kate earned her Bachelors degree in Urban and Regional Planning: Community Development. She has a passion for traveling and experiencing other cultures. She has seen firsthand the power of global citizenship and learning through language immersion when her daughter who spent a year abroad as an exchange student in Argentina. In her free time she likes to travel, spend time with her family and friends, see live music and attend has many community events and festivals as she can. She has visited almost every state in the U.S. and 15 countries worldwide and counting.
Katharina is a German native, who moved to the United States full-time in 2016. She graduated from the University of Kassel, Germany with a degree in business economics and romance linguistics. Her professional background is primarily in the marketing space, particularly digital and destination marketing. Her language skills include German, English, Spanish and French. She has lived abroad in the United States, Spain and Mexico and loves to gain firsthand intercultural experiences in the world.
Katie grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead with a degree in Spanish and World Language Education. She has spent time in Spain, Argentina, and Costa Rica in addition to travels throughout Latin America and Europe. Katie has worked for nine years as a summer language camp administrator and taught K-6 and 9-12 Spanish in the Twin Cities for five years. She is fluent in Spanish and working on her Portuguese. She loves to read, travel, and try new foods.
Leslie has 25+ years of experience in the global education space as a language teacher, curriculum designer and in K-12 school operations. She first experienced the life-changing impact of cultural exchange as a college student on a 10-week homestay program in Morelia, Mexico. Leslie sees Xperitas’ mission as an extension of her own passion for bridging the divisions between people through the development of cultural competency and understanding.
Originally from Montana, Michelle studied French, Communications, and Philosophy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. She spent a semester abroad in Rennes, France during college, followed by a year of teaching English in Les Sables d’Olonne, France. A yen for other cultures, live music, and trying new foods has led her everywhere from India to Scandinavia.
Tyrel graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Journalism and Spanish Studies. Not only has he taught Spanish for several years, but the Twin Cities native has also taken many volunteer trips to Latin America, primarily serving as a team leader and/or interpreter. Tyrel enjoys traveling the globe with his wife, Alyssa, playing guitar, writing, photography, hot yoga, cold-weather 5ks, and slow-pitch softball. He has a 30-year-old painted turtle named Kirby.
A French teacher for 10 years, Virginie earned her Masters in English Literature. Fluent in both languages, she taught at universities in the U.S., France, Japan, and the U.K. She is happy to work for Xperitas, which will allow her to combine her passion for travel, the French language, and education.
