About/Our Team
Our Learning Academy
The Excellerate Learning Academy, Inc. (or EXLA), was founded in the fall of 2017 by married couple Gabriel and Lorraine Saintus. Our ultimate goal is to make learning languages fun!
The goal of the Excellerate Learning Academy is to empower students to excel in adding languages to their lives - connecting with family members, their greater communities, and the wider world around them. Children and adults alike will be able to embrace and appreciate more diversity and culture in their lives. And when that happens, relationships in family and business alike are able to grow and expand.
Excellerate Learning Academy makes learning languages more fun than ever before. Students will discover the joy of watching language barriers disappear and their worlds becoming smaller. There are no barriers to entry. Classes can be taken virtually and in-person, solo or in groups. The expansive beauty of world language and culture is suited for children, adults, schools, churches, and even the corporate world.
Meet the Teachers
“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” – Frank Smith
Ms. Carolina
Spanish
Carolina Rivera hails from Columbia and has been teaching Spanish for over 17 years. Her experience is so extensive that she has even taught other teachers how to more effectively teach language.
Over time, she has experimented with teaching through games, videos, and music, and has seen great dividends come through those more modern teaching methods. Carolina is deeply passionate about the power of imbuing new generations with access to language - it’s what drives her every day.
Ms. Rosanna
Spanish
Hailing from Venezuela, Rosanna has been tutoring language students for over three years.
She employs both simple and didactic methods of teaching language.She also likes to work with an adaptive approach, changing her methods to match the preferences and needs of each individual student.
And above all, she strives to keep it fun, with visual, interactive, and game-based learning.
Rosanna came to language education from her own love of learning. “I love to teach others what I have learned.” She also enjoys cooking, gardening, and crochet.
Ms. Madai
Spanish
Madai taught language teaching methodology at The Peruvian North American Cultural Institute and has over five years experience in teaching languages and other subjects.
A native of Peru, she loves to share her knowledge and culture with others. In her off time, she also enjoys photography and drawing, and playing music. New interests seem to come along all the time.
Ms. Vianey
Spanish
Vianey, a native of Mexico, is passionate about teaching her native language of Spanish because she believes children benefit from the ability to communicate with children and cultures around the world. “I love to share and teach my culture.”
Vianey has taught Spanish all over the country, including for multiple years in Dallas, Texas. When she’s not in the classroom, she loves to go camping, seeing the world from a more natural and beautiful perspective, under the stars.
Ms. Myriam
Spanish
Myriam Mamani was a teacher in her home country of Peru for five years, teaching foreign languages to various age groups, especially children. She loves to see young people grow and achieve their dreams.
When she’s not teaching, Myriam enjoys traveling and listening to music. She also has a lifelong love of knowledge, and loves to learn new things herself.
Ms. Patricia
Spanish
Patricia, originally from Mexico, has been teaching children for over 15 years. She has also worked as a bilingual aide for several years too.
Teaching is continually enriching for
Patricia, as she enjoys sharing her culture with children and watching them grow and develop over time.
In her spare time, Patricia has a simple love: shopping!
Ms. Sue
Mandarin
Sue has over 20 years of teaching experience in her home country of Taiwan as well as America. Her love of her students runs deep, and her unique level of patience has treated her well with her children over the years!
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In her spare time, Sue is incredibly musical, singing and playing the piano.
Ms. Lu
Mandarin
Lu grew up in China watching her Mom teach, and always wanted to be just like her. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Central Florida in 2010. She’s been teaching and working with children in a variety of settings ever since then.
Whenever she gets the chance, she loves to travel the world, expanding her horizons even further.
Ms. Autumn
Mandarin
Autumn Kong spent 20 years teaching high school in China and then another 10+ years teaching Mandarin in the US.
Her passion for sharing her language and culture with others keeps her motivated at all times. In her downtime, she finds time to read.
Mr. Lorenzo
Italian
Lorenzo has been teaching his home language of Italian for the past three years in public and private institutes.
Teaching Italian is meaningful to Lorenzo because he values giving students the instruments to bridge cultural gaps and learn about other countries. “Learning languages opens opportunities to meet people of different cultures and widens our perspectives,” he says.
Lorenzo likes to keep active in his time outside the classroom - hiking, trekking, camping, and traveling through foreign countries.
Ms. Maryam
Urdu
Hailing from Pakistan, Maryam Madda has been teaching Urdu for multiple years in Chicago. Outside of the classroom,
Maryam loves to paint. She also keeps the language education going even at home, teaching her children to read and write in Urdu!
Ms. Fiza
French
Born in Pakistan and raised in Mauritius, Fiza is a French language teacher with 15 years of experience teaching all age levels, from early childhood to high school kids and adults.
Fiza loves being around kids, and gets a sense of gratification in teaching them something useful that they can use to enrich their lives.
She also enjoy reading, and walking outdoors. And more than anything, she loves to spend time at home with another set of kids - her own children!
Dr. Jennifer Smith
Business Classes
Dr. Jennifer Smith has over 18 years of experience teaching all ages of children and adults.
Her company 3AM Consulting and Financial Services has been in business over 20 years. They partner with organizations across the country to provide business and leadership programs for the youth.
Dr. Smith’s primary passion is to provide others with the foundation to be successful in business and leadership. She loves to help others achieve their goals.
Ms. Motoko
Japanese
Bio coming soon..
Ms. Safoorah
Urdu
Originally from Pakistan, Saroorah Mughal has spent over eight years in community outreach, translation and interpretation, and all kinds of teaching in the Urdu language.
It’s the opportunity to share the richness and nuance of their culture with others that keeps them coming back. When not immersed in language and culture, Safoorah likes decorating, designing, and DIY craftwork!
Mr. Frantz-Sion
Haitian Creole
A native of Haiti, Frantz-Sion has taught Haitian Creole for over 10 years.
He holds two Bachelor’s Degrees, in Linguistics and French Studies.
After learning a second language himself at an early age, Frantz-Sion was able to develop an interactive teaching method to pass the gift of language on to his students. Frantz-Sion gets a special feeling of pride and joy when he is able to pass his native tongue and culture along to his students. It’s one of the reasons why he still loves teaching languages after 10 years.
Ms. Yukari
Japanese
Yukari has lived all over the world, and originally studied to teach the English language to Japanese children. But after living in the US more than a decade, Yukari has realized all she wants is to share the beauty of Japanese language and culture with as many young minds as she can.
In her personal time, Yukari loves to keep active, whether dancing in Zumba or snowboarding down a mountain!