Laura Bruce: Think Bilingual Ambassador Language support: Spanish Target age group/s: infants through preschool Bio: Laura is a former Clinical Psychologist who is passionate about research and uses all skills to teach Spanish and help families adopt Spanish at any level. Laura is also the founder of Mi Casa Es Tu Casa where she developed a weekly active parent-child music program designed to introduce and reinforce Spanis for families with babies and toddlers. Her program is based on principles of neuroscience, psychology and child development.   In what capacity does Laura  support families as a Think Bilingual Ambassador: Organize meet-up groups, Introduce interested families to other language speaking community members, Provide support for families when families find it difficult to maintain the language, Provide ideas on resources that can be used for language learning TweetEmail TweetEmail

Yvette Montalvo: Think Bilingual Ambassador Language support: Spanish Target age group/s: Ages 2-10 years old Bio: Yvette Montalvo hails from McAllen, Texas, and grew up visiting family in Mexico. Spanish was her first language. While attending the University of Texas at Austin, she began working with children. After graduating, she started Mariposas Spanish School for Kids in 1999. She has been teaching children Spanish since 1998, eventually becoming Montessori certified in the Primary level. Additionally, she works with teachers and schools offering trainings, consultations, and curriculum advice. “In the past 20 years, I have learned so much about about working with children, parents, schools, and teaching a new language.” I love to teach and share my knowledge with people! In what capacity does Yvette support families as a Think Bilingual Ambassador: She currently serves families as a Think Bilingual Ambassador by sharing her years of experience to direct people to the resources that they need to succeed.   TweetEmail TweetEmail

Aileen Passariello-McAleer: Think Bilingual Ambassador Language support: Spanish/English/Italian Target age group/s: Ages 0-8 years old Bio: Aileen Passariello-McAleer is an American of Venezuelan descent from Miami, FL. Her parents immigrated to the United States to provide their future children with better opportunities. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Post graduation, she pursued a career with IBM in New York City. Her work in the healthcare space as a client manager inspired her to pursue an MBA, which she completed at the University of Texas in Austin Texas. She decided to stay in Austin because of the exciting and dynamic startup culture. After working  with various startups in Austin, she realized it was time to create something of her own. She began raising her children in a bilingual household and wanted to share her experiences with others. She taught Spanish out of her home to parents that also wanted to raise bilingual children. Her methodology of “learning like a child” attracted many parents with young children. MamaLingua was born out of these experiences and months later in 2012, Aileen formally launched it with one of her students, Christia Hoffman. Today, MamaLingua has evolved from a […] TweetEmail

Hind Louali: Think Bilingual Ambassador Language support: French and Arabic Target age group/s: Elementary and Middle School Age Children Bio: Dr. Hind Louali is the founder and the director of Ecole Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the French School of Austin, a French specialized language immersion institution, following the general guidelines of the French Ministry of Education, with an integrated French music and performing arts program. The school supports an internal preschool, elementary and middle school, and has been serving residents of greater Austin, Texas, for more than 12 years. Hind has a doctorate and a Ph.D in medicine. After few years in her career, she founded the school, with her parents, a family of educators and curriculum development professionals with a wealth of experience in education, and in language immersion programs. Hind speaks several languages, and she was raised in a trilingual and multicultural environment throughout her schooling and adult life. She is a passionate advocate for bilingualism and multiculturalism, believing that, the ability to speak and understand more than one language has more than just language skills at skate, but also additional cognitive, academic, social and employment benefits.  In what capacity does Hind support families as a Think Bilingual Ambassador: Introduce interested families to other language speaking community members, Provide ideas on resources […] TweetEmail

Pep Ruckpanich: Think Bilingual Ambassador Language support: Thai, English, Mandarin Chinese Target age group/s: Families, children from infants to teenagers, young adults, and older adults Bio: Pep Ruckpanich was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, however, attended boarding schools since the 7th grade. He is fluent in Thai, English, and Mandarin Chinese, which he learned in high school! He is an entrepreneur and investor who loves traveling, hacking consciousness, squash, meeting new people, and spreading good vibes. In what capacity do you support families as a Think Bilingual Ambassador: Pep is excited to help facilitate meet-up groups around language learning for his chosen target age groups, to provide lists of resources and other ideas for language learning and cultural exchange, to introduce members to other community members seeking to learn Thai, and to provide technical support for challenges faced when learning and/or maintaining language and culture.   TweetEmail TweetEmail

Garrett Blake: Think Bilingual Ambassador Language support: English, Mandarin Chinese Target age group/s: Teenagers and young adults Bio: Garrett Blake is a Texas A&M grad working in Austin. His Mandarin journey began during his junior year of college when he enrolled in an introductory course through the Confucius Institute. After graduating from school, he headed to China to live for a year in Beijing, studying Mandarin. Since returning to Austin he has continued being plugged into the community through courses and local events. In what capacity do you support families as a Think Bilingual Ambassador: I am here to provide knowledge and information about learning Mandarin in the Austin community. TweetEmail TweetEmail