Meet Our Language Acquisition Team
Email = First Initial + Last Name@wihi.org
Trisha Matelski
Spanish and Hispanic Culture
Since becoming a teacher in 2005, I have had the opportunity to teach every level of Spanish from Spanish 1 to Spanish for native speakers. I came from teaching Native Speakers in Southwest Detroit to come be a part of the WIHI program because I believe so strongly in the IB mission of creating global citizens. I received my Bachelor's in education from the University of Michigan and hold a Master of Arts in the Spanish language from Eastern Michigan University. I also have had the opportunity to study abroad, spending one summer in Spain and one summer in Mexico as well as having participated in over a dozen trips to Spanish speaking countries, either for service trips or for pleasure. Teaching and service are the two things that absolutely make me come alive and I am so excited to share that passion with the students here at WIHI and to broaden their horizons both within the classroom and within the context of international service trips. I could not be more thrilled to be part of the WIHI community and hope to instill my passion for the Spanish language and culture into all of my students.
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Patrick Braun
Spanish and Hispanic Culture
Ever since I was in tenth grade, I have been completely in love with the Spanish language. I officially decided to become a Spanish teacher in my senior year of high school when my Spanish teacher led a week-long trip to Mexico. There, I was able to use the language in context for the first time while on a crazy-awesome adventure in a Spanish-speaking country. It was on that trip that I realized that learning a language could be a life changing experience. So, I decided to dedicate my life to becoming a fluent speaker of Spanish. Since then, my adventures have led me to more than a dozen different countries throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean- and I have loved every minute of it! From the beginning of my college experience until now, I have enjoyed teaching Spanish to every single grade level from kindergarten through college. Today, I teach Spanish because I know that learning the language directly contributed to me becoming a happier, more well-rounded person, and my desire is to pass this along to the students in my classes.
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Katherine Beck
French and Francophone Culture
I teach all levels of French at WIHI and, after just one year with our incredible students, I can't imagine working anywhere else! I have experience teaching in both French and American schools - I taught English at a French high school after completing my bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan. I came back to Ann Arbor to complete my master's in education before starting at WIHI. I strive to make my classroom a total immersion environment where students can explore practices and perspectives that differ from their own. I was born and raised in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and studying a foreign language has literally opened up the world to me. I hope to show my students that studying French can unlock limitless opportunities.
When I'm not at school, I enjoy jogging along the Huron River and having leisurely brunches with family and friends. |
