 |
 |
|
TeachersLouiseDirector of Curriculum & Staff Development
With two graduate degrees, one from the University of Iowa and one from the University of Chicago, and further graduate work at Yale University, Louise has a long career in educational administration. She was an Assistant Commissioner of Education for the State of New Jersey and the Assistant Director of the Futures American School in Cairo, Egypt. She has taught in the US and in China. Louise led us in our successful certification effort and has high standards in both curriculum development and staff selection. She has taught in the graduate program of University of Phoenix in Honolulu. BillInstructor
Bill has a BA and MA from the Arizona State University in Language and Literature, French and an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management. He has studied at the Universite de Geneve in Switzerland and the Alliance Francaise in Paris. He has taught both French and English at the university level. While his first ESL teaching was in Mallorca, Spain most of his ESL instruction was in Japan where taught in universities in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and at Phillips University in Uji where he was an Associate Dean. While in Japan he published several textbooks specifically targeted for Japanese ESL students. In Hawaii he has been the Publisher, editor and a writer for the Kaua’i News Journal. DanInstructor
After receiving his BA and a MA Daniel worked for the US Department of State. He served in the US military as an officer in Viet Nam and was a Lieutenant in the Infantry in Korea. He later served in the Peace Corps in Nigeria and Uganda. He has taught English in Saudi Arabia, Hirakara, Japan, Thailand, Iran, and California. Dan speaks Japanese and French. JahnInstructor
Jahn's distinguished academic career includes a Fulbright Fellowship that allowed him to take a time out from regular studies at the University of California at Berkeley to study Asian languages and archaeology in the Philippines. He has also studied French and music in Paris. In Honolulu, he has been a supervisor of archaeological projects for the world famous Bishop Museum. Jahn often takes Academia students on field trips to historic sites where he shares his knowledge of Hawaiian history. He speaks Tagalog, French, Spanish and Japanese. JohnInstructor
John is a Hawaiian language specialist with a lot of experience in translating, teaching and editing. He co-authored, along with Dr. Rubellite Johnson, Na Inoa Hoku which is a catalogue of the constellations that have been seen and named by Hawaiian and other Pacific Island peoples. He has done research in and worked on many important projects for cultural groups. His BA from the University of Hawaii is in Asian Studies and his MA is in Pacific Island Studies. He in the US Navy which included three tours in Vietnam. John speaks German, French, Hawaiian, Tagalog and Tahitian. John is known at Academia for his ukulele and guitar skills and has designed English courses with Hawaiian musical themes. KimberlyInstructor
As our longest tenured teacher, Kimberly has enjoyed meeting and mentoring hundreds of students who have passed through Academia. Now a new Mom, with two young sons, Kimberly teaches part time. Her experience and understanding of students clearly shows in the popularity of her classes. LarryInstructor
Due to his wide experience in and understanding of Japanese culture, Larry is understandably popular with our Japanese students. While living in Japan, he reported US news on TV, and translated text materials. In Honolulu he reported and wrote for Japan TV News. Larry is known for his grammar instruction and has presented his methods to other English teaching professionals in a statewide seminar. Larry has a Doctorate from the University of Hawaii in Comparative Government (Japan) and also teaches evenings at Hawaii Pacific University. He continues as a guest speaker on topics of Japanese culture, politics and education at meetings in Honolulu. MagdaFounder and Instructor
Madga came to the Hawaiian Islands well trained for teaching French and Spanish. A native speaker of both, she is a graduate of schools in France with diplomas in French, Business and Spanish. She has a BA from Boston University in Education and has studied Spanish and English in continuing education programs at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While living in Boston, she taught in language schools and worked in the French Department of the University of Massachusetts. In Hawaii she taught French for the Alliance Francaise of Hawaii and theYWCA of Honolulu before the founding of Academia. MarshallInstructor
After college, a career as a paralegal and a year at law school, Marshall decided that he wanted a life work with more people involvement. He left for Japan and enjoyed 7 years teaching for Nova in Tokyo and for the YMCA program in Yokohama. In both these positions, as at Academia, Marshall has created original teaching materials and has devised interesting methods to involve students in their learning. Marshall is a student as well as a teacher. He is working on a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language at Hawaii Pacific University. Marshall enjoys the ocean and surfing with friends. MartiInstructor
Marti has wide experience teaching in public schools in Hawaii and California and in a private school in Japan. In addition to a degree in education she has taken many graduate courses in teaching. Marti has developed a program of pronunciation that is unique. Her method is to make the recitations fun and for this she has developed speaking games and rhythms, which make pronunciation a popular course in our school. Marti is known for her excellent decorating taste. She has made the school a warmer place with pictures, furnishings and use of color. Academia’s many successful Halloween parties and annual picnics can be attributed to Marti’s hospitality skills. PaulInstructor
Paul became interested in teaching English as a second language while getting his degree in Asian studies at the University of Hawaii. As a student he worked in the University of Hawaii's New Intensive Course in English (NICE) program. Later he taught in Japan for 5 years at a subsidiary of Gakken in Ginza. Paul has trained with the Berlitz language program which, like Academia, focuses on interactive learning. QuintinInstructor
In Hawaii, Quintin has also taught ESL at the University of Hawaii NICE program and in the Adult Education Division of the Hawaii Board of Education. He has spent 11 years in Japan in various teaching capacities inclusive of private lessons for business executives. He taught classes at Toyo University and Yamawaki Junior College. in Tokyo . He had and an assistant professorship in the Liberal Arts faculty at Saitama National University. His BA is from Magdalene College in Cambridge, England where he majored in modern languages (French, German & Spanish). After receiving his degree he taught EFL at various language schools in Madrid, Spain. RicoInstructor
Rico has a BA cum laude from Harvard University and a MA in Public Administration from the University of Rhode Island. He also studied in the PHD program at the University of Pittsburgh School of International and Public Affairs. He lived in Tokyo for almost 30 years where he worked with NCH, Nippon DuBois and Pacific Projects in several executive capacities. While in Japan, he taught ESL and American business culture classes for Fujitsu Laboratories, Fujitsu Systems Engineering and the Okura Hotel. Rico is a retired US Navy Captain Reserve Officer and is fluent in Japanese and Italian. SeanInstructor
Sean recently spent three years in Japan where he taught English to both adults and children in Chiba, Tokyo and Kawasaki. This was his second teaching trip to Japan. Prior to this he taught adults and children in Tokuyama. He has also been a sports instructor in Saipan. Sean is from Kansas where he received a BA in General Studies from the University of Kansas. TracyInstructor
Tracy earned his M.F.A. in Theatre from the University of Hawaii where his focus was on Asian Theatre. While there, he studied Japanese Kyogen under Mansaku Nomura. After graduating, he taught English in Fukuoka with the Japan Exchange Teaching Program (JET). Since returning to Honolulu, he has taught ESL at the University of Hawaii, Trans-Pacific College, the Japan America Institute of Management Science Hawaii Pacific University and Academia. Tracy has done some scriptwriting and has directed his own and other plays in England, Micronesia, throughout the Hawaiian Islands and at mainland locations. He has interesting roles in TV, theater and film. He appeared well known productions, such as Waterworld and Olsen Twins videos and in made for TV movies, commercials and in Public Television and Local TV productions. WinstonInstructor
Winston brings 12 years of experience in teaching English to Academia, inclusive of instruction at the universities, private schools and at the University of Hawaii HELP program. Winston has published in areas such as gender communication, experiential learning, content based conversation, and student and instructor beliefs about English language learning. He has presented at international conferences in Thailand and Japan. His undergraduate and graduate work includes study abroad programs in Spain, Portugal and Mexico. He is conversant in both Spanish and Japanese. StaffRyanDirector
Prior to joining Academia, Ryan worked in the fields of management advisory and venture capital. In various capacities, he has helped guide high-growth technology companies from start up through IPO. Ryan is thrilled to be working in the field of language education and contributing to the improvement of cross-cultural communication and understanding. He’s also very happy to be living in Hawaii, surrounded by the beauty of the Islands. Ryan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and a BS in Engineering from the School of Engineering. He is learning to surf (and has been bitten by the bug) and appreciates the excellent lessons he has received from both teachers and students! JosephFounder and Consultant
When Joseph left his native Massachusetts for Hawaii, he never would have thought that 40 years later he would be the owner of a language school, but that is just what happened. His initial work in Hawaii, a manager for transportation services, gave no clue either for his future. Along with Madga, he began part time teaching Italian, French and German in Honolulu. More and more students came to study, and by 1969, Joseph was the General Manager of a fledgling language school. Given Joseph’s drive and entrepreneurial skill, this small part time avocation grew into a school with over 300 students, a translation service for all major world languages, and a government contractor. YumiDirector of Operations
Yumi has associate’s degrees from the Tokaigakuen Women’s College of Nagoya, Japan in Japanese literature and from the Grant McEwan Community College in Edmonton, Canada in accounting. She studied at Grant McEwan as a recipient of an Aaron Michael Memorial Scholarship and graduated with First Class Standing. Yumi is fluent in English and Japanese and has done considerable translation work. She has taught both English and Japanese in public junior high schools and English at the Evergreen English School in Kochi-city Japan. Also in Kochi-city, she was the Sales Manager for a fashion service. In Hawaii, Yumi has worked for First Hawaiian Bank and Academia Language School. IbuFront Office Staff
Ibu is a graduate of Hokkaido International School in Sapporo, Japan. She attended Grant McEwan College of Edmonton, Canada on a 1 year full scholarship and also studied abroad at University of Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France. Upon arriving in Honolulu, Ibu worked in retail, assisted at a Honolulu Waldorf School and served as the bi-lingual receptionist at a law firm in Honolulu. Ibu is bi-lingual in written and spoken Japanese and English and has attained the third level of French on the Japanese Government French Proficiency Test and the DEFL(Level B1) of the French Government Proficiency Test. JamesFront Office Staff
Originally born in Dallas, Texas, James moved to Washington D.C when he was only 3 years old and was raised there for the majority of his childhood. In the summer of 2003 he attended a wilderness survival school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where he backpacked for 42 days and nights and learned skills such as tracking, trapping, skinning, and fire starting. He attended a boarding school that was located on a 2000 acre working cattle ranch. Doing ranch work in the morning and classes in the afternoon, the students lived in tent-like structures called Yurts. He then moved from Idaho back to Dallas and attended a year of college there, then moved from Dallas to Hawaii to further advance his professional career. KarenFront Office Staff
Karen is currently a junior looking to major in International Business and Finance at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is also looking to minor in Korean. During the Fall 2007 semester, she studied abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. Karen is also bi-lingual in written and spoken Korean and has taken the equivalency of three year of high school Spanish. She was born and raised on Oahu and loves the beautiful beaches Hawaii has. LisyFront Office Assistant
Lisy is a graduate of Marienberg Business College in Austria and has worked in the purchasing department of a utility company in Austria. She was the first woman to join the managerial ranks and be an authorizing agent for large purchases. In this capacity she was involved in the conversion of overhead utilities to underground service delivery and in maintenance and replacement of the vehicle fleet. She has traveled all over Europe and parts of Africa and the US. MakotoFront Office Assistant
Before arriving in Hawaii, Makoto was a purchasing assistant for a shoe retailer in Ishikawa, Japan and a ski instructor at a ski resort. As a licensed ski instructor, he has been on rescue teams and has had the satisfaction of helping people in danger. Makoto is a positive thinker, focusing on improving his English and computer skills. MikiFront Office Assistant
After graduating from JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) in Tokyo, Japan, where she majored in international travel and business, Miki worked in the Processing, Payment and Credit Monitoring Departments of the Citicorp Diners Club in Tokyo. In the US she served as an intern at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, learning routines of the reception desk, and the means of providing food, beverage and general hospitality for guests. Also in Honolulu, she received training as a land operator and learned to evaluate hotel service and quality at R & C Tours at the Pacific Beach Hotel. Miki is a graduate of Academia’s Travel and Tourism Program. NaokoFront Office Assistant
After graduating from Outemongakuin University in Osaka, Japan with a major in English language and literature Naoko worked for an office machine dealer as a sales assistant. While working there, she attended a conversation school in Hyogo. Since arriving in Hawaii Noako has enjoyed surfing at Waikiki and Barbers Point and playing tennis. She enjoys hanging out with both English and Japanese speaking friends. JuliaWebmaster
Julia graduated summa cum laude from the University of Montana with a degree in Japanese. While in college she worked in the University of Montana’s department of Foreign Student and Scholar Services and at the Costume Workshop of the University Theatre. Her one year exchange at Sophia University in Tokyo helped in developing her current fluency in spoken and written Japanese. Julia’s skills in web design, HTML, CSS, Adobe Photoshop, and other computer applications have benefited Academia. She maintains the Academia website. |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |