MEET YOUR TEACHERS
Meet the staff and instructors at the PLU International Study Center:
Jeffrey Bialy, Center Director
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I'm the director of the ISC's Transition English Language Program (TELP). My passion for international study began in high school while participating in a year-long student exchange program between my hometown of New York City and Vienna, Austria. After graduating I relocated from Manhattan's bustling financial sector to the sleepy coastal city of Kangnung, South Korea, where I began the next 10 years developing a career in international education. During this time I was fortunate to teach a wide variety of learners and manage programs to Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. While in China, where I spent nearly nine years, I pursued a Masters in Linguistics through a distance learning course at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England. I subsequently also became fluent in Mandarin and conversant in three regional dialects. I am now excited to leverage this rich international experience back here at home in the US. As center director, while my immediate goal is to improve the students' communicative abilities in English, I ultimately hope to help create an environment that fosters tolerance of other cultures and ways of life while allowing the students to maximize their unique individual potentials.
Zakiya Shaw – Housing Coordinator
I am Zakiya and I am a Tacoma native – born and raised. I chose to leave my career in the legal field for something a bit more exciting, challenging, and interactive. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my son, going to the gym, rollerblading, and playing basketball. I also love to write and dance whenever I can. I love to smile, laugh, and enjoy everything I do. Positive energy is what I always try to bring to any environment. As the housing coordinator I hope to assist the needs of the students as best I can. I look very forward to getting to know everyone.
Jessica Schoppe – Lead Teacher
My name is Jessica. I moved to Tacoma from Salt Lake City in January with my dog Lola. While I lived in Utah, I earned a degree in literature at the University of Utah, taught reading and elementary education at Oxford Academy, and made a lot of friends. While in Tacoma, Lola and I’ve been enjoying living close to the water, exploring the Oympics and Crystal Mountain, spending time with family and making many new friends. I knew as a child I would be a teacher and I understand now that I will always be learning new things. I’m very excited to be the lead teacher! I believe that learning is something we should enjoy and that is my goal as a teacher; to help you enjoy the process of learning English. I look forward to getting to know you.
Ashley Collingwood, ISC Instructor
My name is Ashley Collingwood and I am one of the Transition teachers here at Embassy CES on the beautiful Pacific Lutheran University campus. I recently graduated with a Masters of Arts for Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages (MA-TESOL) from the University of Washington and have been working towards being an English language teacher since I was twelve years old. I grew up here in the Seattle area and while I love traveling I can not imagine myself living anywhere else. I have traveled to Europe, spending time in France, England and Belgium, as well as Mexico and most recently Costa Rica. I speak French, learned Swahili and am currently in the process of learning Korean. Other than traveling I enjoy cooking, reading, shopping, spending time with my friends and family and getting to know new people. I am looking forward to meeting you and helping your achieve your academic goals – whatever they may be!
Pat Crane, ISC Instructor
I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1996 with a BA in Anthropology. I received my Certification in TESOL from Seattle University and have been teaching for 11 years. My strengths in teaching research and writing come from a lifelong passion in history and writing. I attended the writing program at University of Washington and numerous seminars in writing and editing both fiction and non-fiction materials. I am presently working on my first novel. In addition to teaching, I have a strong business background and have worked with both private industry and the government. I speak Spanish and have traveled extensively in Mexico.
Kathy DeHeide, ISC Student Services Manager
I graduated from Brigham Young University in Asian Studies and minored in Japanese and Ballroom Dance! Afterwards, I spent 8 months in Japan as a guide for the US Pavilion at the World’s Fair. I have always had a passion for helping others, and have had several fun jobs as a tour guide. Recently I coordinated a successful tutoring program at a local community college for international students. Working with those students was so rewarding. Now I get to work with international students daily - I welcome new students in orientations, place students in host families, provide activities, publish student work in our newsletter, liaise with PLU, and many other things to ensure our students have a great time studying at University in America!
Beverly Hendricks, ISC Director of Studies
I've been involved in English language learning since high school, where I was a teacher's aide. After that I worked at a community college and was assigned my first ESL class. These early experiences encouraged me to pursue my degree in TESOL. I taught international students for 3 years at private schools while earning my Master's Degree. Then I worked for 10 years in a program for immigrants and refugees. Beside teaching English, I have taught computer skills, workplace skills and basic math in order to help people adjust to life in the United States. Now I am at the International Study Center on PLU’s campus. I really enjoy teaching international students because they are ambitious, eager to learn English, and willing to use their language skills in their personal and professional lives. In addition, I help develop curriculum and ensure the successful delivery of our academic program.
Marie Schimke, ISC Instructor
Since earning my first degree from the University of Oregon, I knew that I wanted to continue my family’s teaching tradition. I have always enjoyed learning about other cultures and histories, and have spent several years studying idioms (Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, Arabic and German) and traveling the globe to perfect my speaking abilities, which found me residing in France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Chile and Morocco. As an instructor, I have taught in high school, college, and university. I love teaching English! Furthermore, I love expanding my learned knowledge - so much that I presently hold 5 degrees - BAs in Spanish, French, and Visual Art, an MA in ESL, as well as a teaching certification from PLU. When not in the classroom, I can be found on the basketball court playing a pick-up game with our talented students or training for horse shows.