My passion for international study began in high school while participating in a year-long student exchange program between my hometown of New York City and Vienna, Austria. Even after 18 years our families are still in close contact, now exchanging e-mails instead of handwritten letters.

I vividly recall my first days there, in my new home, city and school, and I knew then that I would be destined for a life abroad. I eagerly returned to Vienna for a semester in college, and within two years after graduating I relocated from Manhattan’s bustling financial sector to the sleepy costal city of Kangnung, South Korea, where I began the next 10 years developing a career in international education.

During this time I was fortunate to teach a wide variety of learners and manage programs to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. While in China, where I spent nearly nine years, I pursued a Masters in Linguistics though the University of Surrey in England. I subsequently also became fluent in Mandarin. I am now excited to leverage this rich international experience at Embassy CES.

As director, while my immediate goal is to improve students’ communicative abilities in English, I ultimately hope to help create an environment that fosters tolerance of other cultures and allows students to maximize their unique individual potentials.