Teacher Directory

Julio E. Batres

Julio, a Guatemalan native, has been teaching Spanish in the USA for over 25 years. He has a degree in Education from Guatemala and Spanish literature from UW-Milwaukee. He is currently finishing his MA in teaching methodology. Julio has been teaching Spanish in several school districts in the metropolitan area the last 10 years. He has been trained in the International Baccalaureate IB, Advanced Placement AP and College in School CIS. He has participated in many conferences including Steven Krahsen and Noam Chomsky. He also has lectured during the national convention of the American Association for Foreign Language Teachers (AAFLT), and Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Culture (MCTLC) over the last five years. He is the founder and director of Casa Xelaju, a Spanish immersion program in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala which opened in 1987.

Nadia Calvo

Nadia was born in Cusco, Peru. She attended the Universidad Andina del Cusco, where she graduated as a psychologist. After graduation she started working at Cusco’s Social Security Hospital, where she led different clinical programs to assist the elderly. She moved to the States in 2000. Currently she works as a teacher at a school with a bilingual program for toddlers. She has been working in that field for the last 8 years, in addition to teaching Spanish classes for adults the past 3 years. Nadia loves teaching and is very happy to share her knowledge with everyone who wants to learn her native tongue.

Andrea Davila

Andrea is from Lima, Peru. She has her Degree in Elementary Education. She started teaching in Peru in 1994 and then arrived to Minnesota in 2004. She started working in Minneapolis Public Schools teaching kindergarten, first, second grade and adult classes.

Carlos Diaz

Carlos, originally from Cali, Colombia studied music at the Conservatorio in Cali. He specialized in music education at the INTEM-University of Chile in Santiago. Carlos also studied archaeology at ENAH in Mexico City. On a fellowship in Madrid he studied Spanish culture. Carlos is a part of the Twin Cities music scene as a composer and performer. He has been a member of the Resource Center of the Americas for many years. His experience teaching Spanish in Minnesota includes all ages, K-Adult.

Lisselin Diaz

Lisselin is originally from Peru and has years of teaching experience with both children and adults. She has helped design our Beginning level Spanish books and designed our Spanish Speaking Labs most recently.

David Fernandez

David holds a degree in Law and a post-graduate degree in Public Administration from his native country of Colombia, where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Universidad del Atlantico and was later appointed Director of Human Rights. Mr. Fernandez has written articles on Colombia and spoken in various forums. In Columbia he taught Administrative Law and since arriving in the United States he has become an experienced Spanish teacher.

Justo Garcia

Justo is from Colombia, South America. He has a degree in Biology and has been teaching Spanish, science and math since 1998. Justo has been a Minnesota resident since 2000 and works mainly in public health and numerous social services program. Currently he is enrolled in a food science and nutrition program at the University of Minnesota. He enjoys teaching Spanish and making students laugh.

Elsa Leven

Elsa, an Argentine native, holds degrees in Spanish and English Language Learners from the Minnesota State University-Moorhead (MSU-M) and a Masters in Educational Policy and Administration. Ms. Leven taught in Northern MN at MSU-M at the Department of Modern Languages and Multicultural Studies. Currently Ms. Leven is a faculty member in the Education Department at Metropolitan State University. Ms. Leven is an advocate for human rights, working on behalf of the Mayan people in the Yucatan peninsula (Mexico) and Guatemala.

Megan McCormick

Megan facilitates the Spanish/English Intercambio on Saturday mornings. During the week she is a primary teacher in the bilingual program with the Minneapolis Public Schools. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Elementary Education and Spanish Studies. She also holds a Masters of Education and a certificate of Bilingual Education. She has lived and traveled in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico where she worked, volunteered and attended school. Megan is an active advocate for human rights on the US/Mexico border where she regularly works with the Casa YMCA de Menores Migrantes.

Jose Luis Mendez Lopez

José Luis López Méndez was born in Guatemala and moved to the US in 2008. He holds a degree in Elementary Education. Luis also received a certificate for teaching Spanish as a Second Language (E/LE) for adults from Enforex and The Cervantes Institute jointly with The Alcala de Henares University Spain. Luis also received his Masters degree in Linguistics from Mariano Galvez University. Prior to moving to the US, Luis spent 8 years teaching Spanish as a second language and working as the Spanish Curriculum Developer in one of the top Spanish schools in the country. At his school, Luis also worked at instructing new teachers on how to teach Spanish as a second language. Luis has a passion for the Spanish language and for teaching it to students from beginner to a mastery level. Luis enjoys reading, cooking, spending time with his family, and anything involving fútbol (soccer).

Silverio Rios

Silverio holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City, where he is originally from. He first started teaching Quality Assurance and Quality Control at a Technical College two years prior to graduating from college. Mr. Rios co-founded a Spanish group at the Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis shortly after his arrival to the US and started teaching Spanish ever since, first tutoring one-on-one to a broad base of professionals, then teaching to large groups for the Saint Paul Community Education at Ramsey Jr HS; where he developed his own curriculum. He later created Voces del Español, a one-week Spanish Immersion program to learn Spanish in Querétaro, Mexico. He enjoys teaching the language and sharing the culture of his native Mexico.

Braulio Sanchez-Carrasco

Braulio leads the Intercambios program on Saturdays. During the week he is a third grade Native Language Literacy teacher at Richard D. Green Central Park School in South Minneapolis. Braulio holds a Political Science degree from the University of Minnesota and is working towards his Master’s degree. A native son from the Dominican Republic, Braulio moved to the United States with his family while still in high school and began his work between two languages. While in college he tutored Upward Bound students and worked in the Admissions Office at the University of Minnesota recruiting Latino students. Braulio also volunteered his time with the Jane Addams School of Democracy in St. Paul preparing new Minnesotans to take their citizenship test. He has recently been very involved with DREAM Act advocates and working around immigration issues and supporting college access with NAVIGATE.

Leticia Stabrino

Leticia obtained her teaching degree in Uruguay, her country of origin, and moved to the United States in 2005. She worked as a teacher in Montevideo for 7 years and held various jobs in education in Minnesota. She worked as the Latino Liaison at North St. Paul schools and she’s currently working at an alternative high school in Minneapolis. She has been involved with the Resource Center since 2005 where she volunteered, taught and was a board member. At present she’s leading the Intercambios on Saturdays.

Cynthia Torres

Cynthia Torres was born in Mexico City and moved to Minnesota in 2005. She holds a degree in Administration, Marketing and Sales Strategies from the Universidad Motolinia in Mexico City. Cynthia spent 4 years teaching Spanish in Community Education programs in Minnesota and also gave private lessons. She currently works as a Spanish interpreter in addition to teaching Spanish. Cynthia enjoys cooking, reading, having new challenges and spending time with her family and friends.

Sandra L. Uribe

Sandra L. Uribe began teaching Spanish in the summer of 1980, in her birthplace, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. After getting her bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy, she began teaching a variety of subjects to high school and college students, including Communications, Education, Language, and Spanish Literature. She came to Minnesota in 2001 and taught Spanish and Literature courses at the Resource Center of the Americas from 2003 to 2007. During this time, she developed curricula for Spanish Literature courses and Grammar Workshops. Over the years, she has taught all levels of Spanish to both adults and children. More than anything, she loves to transmit her passion about Spanish language and Latin American culture.