My work involves:

Running Certificate and Diploma courses.

My top tip for language learning:

Make friends with native English speakers and listen to the radio all the time!

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle:

Get outside whenever it is not raining - Vitamin D is very important! Keep up on your exercise it is remarkably helpful in improving your overall mood and mental alertness.

My experience:

I received my BA in Women's Studies from Cornell University in 1984 and my MA in TESOL from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1994. For several years I was a Visiting Professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and ran an intensive language program for translators and interpreters.

My specialities are teaching writing, editing, and portfolio assessment. In addition to teaching stints in Austria and Germany, I spent over five years developing RLA assessments for various educational publishers, including CTB/McGraw-Hill, National Geographic School Publishing, Riverside Publishing, and ETS. I also served as Project Manager for an online reading assessment company for four years. In December of 2008 I joined Embassy as Director of Academic Programs here at the Seattle-Tacoma school.

My work involves:

Preparing students to be successful at an American university.

My top tip for language learning:

Watch lots of American TV! Watching televesion is an excellent way to improve your listening and speaking skills, including the use of American body language.  It also helps to build your vocabulary.  You will also learn about American culture and customs.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle and Tacoma:

Don’t bother with an umbrella, just buy a light rain jacket with a hood and get outside no matter what the weather is!

My experience:

I have been working in the ESL field for over ten years. Before coming to Study Group, I worked at South Seattle Community College as an ESL instructor and advisor in the International Programs office. 

I received my Master's degree in TESOL from Manhattanville College. After graduating, I worked for five years in their English Language Institute as an administrator and instructor. At the University at Albany I pursued a degree in French Studies, but I discovered that my love is teaching international students—specifically, preparing them to go to college in the US. 

My work involves:

Helping students with registration, accommodation, extensions, and visa requirements; planning student activities; and making sure all of our students have a great experience here at the Seattle-Tacoma school.

My top tip for language learning:

Make friends with other students, both native American and Embassy students. The more people you spend time with, the more you will be able to practice the English you are learning.

Attend Embassy activities. Not only are they a lot of fun, but they will give you many opportunities for practicing your English outside of the classroom with Americans.

My top tip for for enjoying life in Seattle:

Go out and experience the culture the way locals do. There are many other students living in Tacoma, and they love to go to local restaurants, bars, concerts, and special events to interact and make new friends.

I would love to help you get involved with local activities because this will help you improve your English. I personally enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, running, and swimming, and in this area there are many ways to enjoy nature.

My experience:

I have always been fascinated by languages and foreign cultures. I have spent time travelling and volunteering in Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Uganda, and Italy. In each of these places, learning to communicate in a new language was one of my most challenging and rewarding activities.

I have always enjoyed the field of education, so working as a Student Services Representative is a perfect way for me to combine that with my international experience. I love meeting new students and hearing about where they come from, what their goals are, and how studying English here at our school is helping them to achieve those goals.

In my free time I enjoy running, hiking, cooking, reading great books, and travelling.

You have to go to the Pike Street Market in Seattle, especially on the weekend. It's a blast!  Tacoma's Owens Beach is pretty nice in the summer too. 

My Profile:

I fell in love with teaching the first time I experienced it as an undergrad in college. Since I took my first group of Turkish students, 16 years ago, to the University of South Carolina and I have been loving it ever since. 

My profession has taken me to Asia from where I have several years of wonderful memories. After living in an environment where learning a new language can be intimidating, I feel I am able to sympathise with students more and can assist them more effectively as I am able to better anticipate obstacles to their language learning process. 

I feel success in life is doing what you really want to do most (and get paid for it), and in that sense I have reached a level of success, being able to continue to teach in and enjoy the wonderful world of ESL!

My work involves:

Teaching Diploma of English courses and electives.

My top tip for language learning:

Surround yourself with native speakers as much as possible. When I lived abroad, I would go to the local market and write down new words and expressions in a small notebook. If I wasn't sure what they meant, I would ask another native speaker and then practice using the words and expressions.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle:

I enjoy taking long walks in my neighbourhood (Queen Anne); Kerry Park is a great place for amazing views and to enjoy a picnic with friends. I also love Pike Place Market for the unusual new foods to try and unique shops to browse. I enjoy hanging out with friends on a sunny day, taking in all the sights and sounds from a balcony table at Copacabana, a Bolivian restaurant at the market. Outside of the city, I enjoy visiting friends on Bainbridge Island, a quiet but beautiful place just a 30-minute ferry ride from downtown, or spending a weekend on the Olympic peninsula, hiking in the rainforest and snowshoeing in the mountains.

My experience:

I grew up outside of Chicago in a bilingual household and speak English and Lithuanian fluently. My parents were both teachers and because of their backgrounds (my mother is Lithuanian, my father is Moroccan), I was exposed to different languages at an early age and have always been interested in education and in different cultures.

Before coming to Embassy, I was pursuing a career in journalism. I was also interested in teaching English so when the opportunity arose, I moved to Morocco and worked as an English teacher in Marrakech. Working there was my first experience teaching, and I fell in love with it. I was able to improve my French skills and learned some basic Moroccan Arabic and I also had the opportunity to travel, visiting family and friends in various cities in Morocco, Southern Spain and France.

My work involves:

I teach two classes to Diploma students, which cover Listening & Speaking, and Reading & Writing. I also teach Academic Writing to students who are entering Pacific Lutheran University programmes.

My top tip for language learning:

Learning a new language is hard work but it should also be fun! Every moment outside of class, participating in American culture is an English lesson.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle:

Washington State is renowned for its outdoor activities and natural settings. If you enjoy hiking, skiing, and water sports (to name just a few), you're in the right place. Seattle is a waterfront city that offers many opportunities to enjoy fresh seafood, so take advantage of our open-air market, Pike Place Market, to try any seafood you desire!

My experience:

I have been a teacher of ESL for about 10 years. I have taught in countries around the world including Taiwan, South Korea, Italy, Canada, and the US. Teaching is my passion and I love to see my students improve their English skills. In my free time, I like to go hiking and camping with my husband and my dog, go horseback riding, and eat great food!

My work involves:

Teaching two core classes and one elective. Helping individual students with needs and concerns. Assisting the Academic Co-ordinator: assisting with staff training, peer development observation, teacher observations and professional development. Managing the Certificate and Diploma programs at SeaTac.

My top tip for language learning:

Study with others! Language is about communicating. The more social your experience is the more you will learn and the more fun you will have.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle:

I love exploring the mountains but I'll often head to Portland or Seattle if I need to feel more metropolitan. Take the train: it's pretty cheap, relaxing, and the scenery is beautiful.

My experience:

I knew as a child I would be a teacher. I love helping others grow, learning new things and meeting new people. Learning is something that we should enjoy and that is my primary goal as a teacher. Teaching at Embassy has been a great experience for me. It is fun for me to learn about other cultures and share what we have here in the Pacific Northwest with our English Language Learners! In my free time I like to take road trips, go hiking, see live music, watch movies and spend time with friends and family.

My top tip for learning:

If I thought I want to do something, I would just try it. Sometimes I might fail but sometimes the trying goes well and helps my study.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

To draw a line between studying hard and playing much.

My experience:

I have already graduated from university in Japan, and I plan to study here for nine months and then move to another school to take a one month course because my goal is to become an English teacher.

I chose Embassy because I liked the look of the Diploma course, and I thought the students in the course must have enthusiasm for English. I chose the Seattle-Tacoma school because I heard the area was like Portland and the people were very warm.

I have had the chance to make contact with and make friends with PLU students. By coming to Seattle, I was finally able to watch Ichiro play baseball here.

Be sure to check out Keita's blog about student life at Seattle-Tacoma.

My work involves:

Teaching English to all sorts of student.

My top tip for learning:

Having a great attitude.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Don't let the rain stop you from having fun.

My experience:

Hello everyone! I am so excited to teach here at Embassy.

I am an American-born Chinese. I was born in Utah and raised in Toronto, Canada along with my three brothers. I studied at BYU-Hawaii and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in TESOL. I absolutely love teaching ESL!

After I graduated from university I taught ESL in the US, Taiwan and Canada. I have been teaching since 2003 to children and adults and I enjoy meeting students from all over the world.

I have been happily married since 2001 and we now have four beautiful children. We have one daughter and three sons. Leanna was born in 2003, Joshua in 2005, Brandon in 2006 and Joseph in 2007. I love having a big family! My children bring such joy in my life and they continue to amaze me every day.

Besides taking care of my home and family, I enjoy reading, listening to music, baking, travelling, exercising and just being outdoors. While at Embassy I hope to share my skills and talents and teach you English to the best of my ability. I look forward to teaching you, and I hope you enjoy your time at Embassy.

My top tip for learning:

Only be around people that are speaking the language you are trying to learn.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Go to school activities and meet new people here and around Tacoma.

My experience:

I am currently enrolled at Istanbul University and my major is Electronics. I plan to finish my education at Embassy, and then I will study Physical Education at Arkansas State University.

My parents and I decided on Embassy in Seattle-Tacoma because it was on a campus that had been on the best education list for the past two years.

Our teachers here are the best . They really help with everything and the education level is perfect here. I can speak English with all people.

One of my best experiences here is going with my PLU friends to California for Spring Break and it was one of the best times in all my life.

My top tip for learning:

Learning American culture can improve your English, including speaking, writing and acting like an American.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle-Tacoma:

Release your mind and try to participate in activities that you don’t do in your hometown. You will find out that you will learn a lot more than you expected.

My experience:

I have a university degree in Mechanical Engineering from my university in Taiwan, and I am planning on studying in the U.S. for two years on an MBA program.

Embassy creates opportunities for students to talk with Americans and it has helped improve my listening and speaking skills. By doing so, I have learned American culture and it help me to be deeply involved in the conversation with native speakers.

My host mother is a PLU professor and she held a party in her house and invited her co-workers and students. I have had a lot of fun because I talked and danced with them. I have not had the same experience before that - it was awesome!

My top tip for learning:

Make an effort in everything such as hanging out with Americans and having lots of conversations with them. Just go for it!

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Enjoy the weather, trees and flowers, go to the Museum of Glass and downtown Seattle! You should make some plans every weekend with your friends!

My experience:

I am a sophomore in university, but I am taking a year off of school to study English. I am planning to stay in America for one year because I'm planning to graduate from university in Korea as soon as possible. My goal is to learn English and to speak like an American.

I chose Embassy Seattle-Tacoma because my uncle lives near Tacoma and I also wanted to experience school life with American friends. Embassy has a lot of activities such as meeting PLU students, hanging out with Americans and so on. It is very helpful for improving my English.

One of my best experiences has been in the Volunteering elective class I took a month ago. At that time, I helped children studying in an elementary school. It was an unforgettable experience!

My top tip for learning:

Practice English during all your spare time.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Be a volunteer.

My experience:

I am a university transfer student at Embassy/PLU. I am in the Transition program and plan to be in the US for at least two years until I get my Bachelor's degree. I am not sure I want to continue to study after I graduate so I will have to wait and see.

I chose to study at Embassy/PLU because they also include English training and my English was not good enough to be a full-time student yet. My classes are helping me improve my English skills in listening and speaking, reading and writing and for the TOEFL iBT. I have enjoyed the friendly people and the free environment for living and studying.

My top tip for learning:

Set your own long term and short term goals. Make your own plans and keep working on it.

My top tip for enjoying Seattle-Tacoma:

Don't be afraid of something different - you know, you're here because you're not afraid.

My experience:

In China, I graduated from college and I plan to stay in the US for more than ten years to get a doctorate in Nursing. Now, I am planning to study Nursing at Pacific Lutheran University. I chose to come to Embassy/PLU because I thought it would be better for me to learn English in the US and also because PLU has a great nursing school.

I wasn't good at English before I came but now I'm getting better and my classes helped me get into the university programme in America. I have many new friends from different countries and they teach me about their culture. Now, I love learning about different cultures.

My work involves:

I work with all international students but especially with Transition students. My main role is to provide effective programs and advice to students so that they can maximize their experiences at PLU and in the US. I can answer questions on academic and immigration issues, cross-cultural transition, how to get involved on campus / in the community and more.

My top tip for language learning:

English is my second language. When I first came to the US, I lived with an English speaking host family for two years. Practicing not to be shy or afraid but to be confident and always remain curious are essential attitudes for successful foreign language acquisitions.

My top tip for enjoying life in Seattle:

One of the great aspects of living in Tacoma is that the city is located at a close distance to several other attractive cities, such as Seattle, Portland, Vancouver and Victoria BC. It is fun to take weekend trips to those cities. To find activities nearby, I read the weekly Volcano newspaper. There are also a lot of interesting activities and events that PLU offers on-campus and off-campus. I check those opportunities all the time.

My experience:

I am originally from Tateyama, a small city located south of Tokyo in Japan. My parents and my younger sister still live in Japan. I came to the US soon after I graduated from high school and started my new life in Bellingham, WA. I received both my bachelors and masters degree from Western Washington University. I am married to Kyle whom I met in college in 2007.

I am passionate about my work in the field of international education. It is a dream come true. If you are a student reading this, I encourage you to stop by my office and say, "Hello!". I very much look forward to getting to know you!