MEET THE LANGUAGE PLUS TEAM

STEVE CAHN

Title: Institute Director
How long have you been in the education field?: 18 years in language teaching and 2.5 years as a corporate management trainer
What is your favorite thing about teaching/working at Language Plus?: The quality of the genuinely caring people I work with, and ability to think freely on how to help a wide variety of people achieve their particular life goals.
Where are you from?: I primarily grew up, had the vast majority of my education and engaged in a large portion of professional life in the New York City metropolitan area.
What is your favorite thing about your career?: I have had the freedom to make many job choices and choose a variety of paths, with a central theme of helping others consistently running through it.
Who knows you the best?: So far, I do.

HANNAH HAMNER

Title: Academic Director
How long have you been in the education field?: 6 years
What is your favorite thing about teaching/working at Language Plus?: I love the atmosphere at Language Plus. The instructors, staff and students are all great and I enjoy being around people dedicated to learning.
Where are you from? Buffalo, New York
When I’m not teaching I’m… following the open road, dancing at the country bar down the street, and re-reading Harry Potter.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Colombia!
What languages do you speak? I speak English and Spanish and I’m starting to learn Greek for some strange reason.

OUR INSTRUCTORS

Please meet our instructors! They are native speakers, with eclectic professional teaching backgrounds, qualifications, and wonderful personalities. They are carefully selected based also on their creativity, adaptability, classroom mindset, and passion for teaching. Language Plus instructors are truly dedicated to helping you further develop the communication skills and confidence you need to use the language effectively, in your daily life.

DELIA HERNANDEZ

Title: English/Spanish Instructor
How long have you been in the education field?: 43 years
Where are you from?: California
What is your favorite thing about teaching/working at Language Plus?: “I enjoy helping my students achieve their goals, whether it’s for every day or professional life.”
What is your favorite thing about your career?: I really really really love when I see my students succeed.
What motivates me to work hard?: “When I became a teacher, I promised myself I would quit if I ever lost the love of learning and the excitement of teaching. Well, I’m still here, teaching! C’mon let’s start class! ” ¿Listos? ¡Hablemos español!

EMMA LICON

Title: Spanish Instructor
How long have you been in the education field?: 40+ years
What is your favorite thing about teaching/working at Language Plus?: “Language Plus has become a family to me. It has given me the opportunity to do what I love most, teaching. Thanks to Language Plus, I have been able to meet different people from different places and make more friends.”
Where are you from?: Ciudad Juárez. Chihuahua México
What motivates you to work hard?: “What motivates me to work hard is the enthusiasm of the students when they try hard to speak the language they are learning.”
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?: The meal I would eat is beef. l love beef.

STEVE DISE

Title: English Instructor
How long have you been in the education field?: 17 years
What is your favorite thing about teaching/working at Language Plus?: Meeting people from all over the world.
Where are you from?: El Paso, Texas
When I’m not teaching I’m: Spending time with family and friends and continuing to learn from life.
What three items would you take to a desert island?: A good book, Mozart music, and my dog
What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks?: Prince

MATTHEW MCCLISTER

Title: English Instructor
How long have you been in the education field?: I’ve been in education since 2017 when I first began teaching ESL students in Orlando, FL.
What is your favorite thing about teaching/working at Language Plus?: Getting to know my students and interacting with my fellow teachers.
Where are you from?: I consider Florida my home. However, I was born in Chicago.
When I’m not teaching I’m: Reading a book, going for a hike, or spending time with my wife. Sometimes I exercise.
What is a fun fact about you?: I had the coronavirus during my wedding! I didn’t realize it was the coronavirus at the time, but I couldn’t taste or smell during the honeymoon. I tested negative, but my blood later showed I have antibodies. It was a very 2020 wedding!

ANGELES PARRA

Title: English/Spanish Instructor
How long have you been in the education field?:
I started at 19. I’ve been at Language Plus for several months now and I’m loving it!
What is your favorite thing about teaching at Language Plus?:
Making learning fun for students is enriching and fun for me as the instructor.
Where are you from?
I was raised in Juárez.
What motivates you to work hard?
Topping myself. I want to push myself to be better every single day; to keep learning and growing as a person and as a teacher.
What is your favorite thing about your career?
I like to help students become independent learners, thinkers, and more confident individuals. Nothing compares to seeing someone realize they can do things they couldn’t before.
What languages do you speak?
I speak Spanish, English and I’m learning French.

ADMINISTRATIVE
SUPPORT

ALMA RODRIGUEZ

If I could live anywhere, I’d live in South America! Somewhere tropical and warm where it doesn’t get cold.
What is your favorite thing about your career?
I love the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people and the chance to grow and learn something new every single day.
What was your first job? My first job was at an ice cream shop. I loved it, it was a lot of fun and I learned many good things.
What languages do you speak? I speak English and Spanish.

ALONDRA NAVARRETE

Title: Admin Guru
If I could live anywhere, I’d live in Seoul, South Korea!
My first job was serving up gelato and frozen yogurt.
What languages do you speak? I speak English and Spanish fluently, as well as beginner level Japanese.
When I’m not teaching, I’m studying for the next exam at school.
What motivates you to work hard?
My motivation for workin hard is knowing that if I achieve my goals, I can give my mom an even better life than she has given me.