Guisell comes from Peru. As she says, it may be shocking to many people, but she is the oldest of 9! Being surrounded by so many kids her whole life made her want to be involved in education. She was able to see, from personal experiences, that kids have so much to give, their minds are capable of so much!

Through high school her heart  settled on teaching.

She pursued a Psychology major and once she graduates, she will be getting her master’s in clinical psychology with a concentration in adolescents and children. Growing up, her parents pushed her to accomplish everything that she wanted. This is why she was able to do some mission work in Philadelphia for two years. She helped many families that were in need and taught many kids that did not have the opportunity to go to school. Besides going to Philadelphia, she traveled around the world. Being able to see different cultures made her realize that she should not take for granted what she was given. She is very pleased to be working for Tessa.

Miranda was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She moved to New Jersey in June 2022 to start a new life. She has a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and has been working with children  from P-second grade for more than 6 years. Mrs. Miranda loves dancing salsa and making accessories in her free time. She is energetic, artistic and a wonderful addition to our school community. Miranda loves children, and has the ability to see each child’s strengths and provide a challenging but fun program.

Carlos is a native Spanish speaker from Ecuador. He was born in Manta, Ecuador. When he finished high school he went to an English Institute to learn English, and 2 years later he was hired by the Institute to become an ESL-Teacher.

He is also an Industrial Engineer, and will soon obtain his master’s degree in “Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language.” His passion to teach keeps him on track. As soon as he moved to the United States, he decided to go back to teaching.

He has over 15 years of experience as a teacher, 12 years in Ecuador teaching different subjects such as English, Math, Chemistry, Science, Social Studies, and more; and 3 years teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language in a Montessori School in Jersey City, before joining Tessa in 2021. 

Mr. Carlos is always happy and very enthusiastic. He understands that every student is different, and they have their own unique way to learn. He makes learning Spanish FUN!

Catty was born and raised in Peru, where she studied hospitality Management. She moved to the United States over 10 years ago. Her love for children made her realize she wanted to teach. She joined Tessa in 2020, and has a certificate in Early Childhood Education.

In her free time, Catty loves spending time with her family, cooking and watching movies together.

Nicole was born and raised in New Jersey, and her parents are from the Dominican Republic. Spanish was her first speaking language, until her parents put her in a bilingual class in elementary school and she became fluent to both English and Spanish. She is a huge lover of music and the arts. As a child she took acting lessons which transitioned into her adulthood (in college she majored in Theater!) She started working at Tessa as a part time assistant floater. She also has experience as a behavior technician, specializing in ABA therapy for children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. During her free time she loves to be out in nature, play the piano, produce/compose music, spend time with loved ones and her cats, and try out different restaurants (she is a big foodie)!

Jessica was born in Manta, Ecuador, and immigrated to the USA with her family as a preschooler. She has called Jersey City her home ever since and has grown up in a multicultural environment. 

She is the first generation of her family to have attended college and currently has her associate degree in early childhood education. She worked for five years in the educational field. She finds joy in witnessing a child learn something new. She feels the impact she makes in their lives makes for an even bigger and completely gratifying impact in her own life.Being a mother of young children, she understands the importance of a great partnership between parent and teacher.  

She is currently obtaining a bachelor’s degree in primary education and plans on obtaining a masters in special education and behavioral analysis. 

In her spare time she loves to volunteer in the community.  In the last few years she developed a passion for gardening!

Carmen was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. She moved to the United States about 9 years ago and got her associate degree in early childhood education. Afterward, She got a BA in foreign language – Spanish in NYC.

She first joined Tessa as a summer camp assistant teacher, and has been passionate about teaching since she was a kid.
Carmen started working with special Ed young children in 2020. She says that being empathetic, kind, energetic and always positive has been her way of showing her students that learning is fun and important, that they matter regardless of anything and that kindness will open many doors.
A few of her hobbies include listening to music, reading Spanish books and eating out with her family.

Fluent in Spanish, Rosa was born and raised in Ecuador. Since earning Child Development Associate (CDA) and Child Development Specialist certification (CDA) she has become very proficient in managing behavioral issues. She has had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of children including children who are challenged by ADHD, autism, speech impairments, and other conditions. These experiences have helped Rosa to gain expertise in planning and implementing teaching methods that incorporate individual students’ learning. Rosa is hard-working and self-motivated. She always tries to improve herself and she never gives up. Rosa has been working with Tessa since the school opened its doors, and we are very lucky to have her!

Miriam was born and raised in Mexico. She holds an MA in Health Education and Promotion and has worked several years in the mental health field providing guidance to schools and community organizations on the area of depression and connecting them to help.

She has experience providing academic programs and tutoring in multiple settings. Her first experience as instructor was in a rural community providing elementary education and basic literacy to parents.

Miriam is the first one in her extended family to obtain a higher degree which has reinforced her connection to education and her commitment to give her best to Tessa’ students.

She joined Tessa in early 2022 and believes that each child is a human being that deserves respect and to be listened by adults. She hopes to preserve the children’s natural smiles and looks forward to to raising the love for language, culture and academics in our students.  

Eloïse was born and raised in Liege, a city in the French speaking part of Belgium. Coming from a family of teachers, teaching has always been a part of her life but it was really the experience of a few months of volunteering in a kindergarten in Venezuela that finally convinced her to choose this career.          

During her studies at Helmo Sainte Croix de Liège, she was able to complete her knowledge in pedagogy at the Blasco Ibáñez University in Valencia, Spain, thanks to an Erasmus program. 

She graduated as a kindergarten and primary school teacher in 2011 (Two separated careers in Belgium), and then  took the opportunity to teach on different continents (Congo DRC, Vietnam, Chile).  

Back in Belgium after five years of experience abroad with young children, she challenged herself and spent six years with students from 12 to 20 years old with learning disabilities and academic difficulties. 

In her classroom as in her life, she loves projects and challenges because they are the driving force that pushes us to surpass ourselves and give purpose and meaning to our learning. As a teacher, she seeks to promote inclusion, autonomy and self-esteem by allowing children to evolve in a reassuring, encouraging and benevolent environment. 

Élodie was born and raised in Paris by her Guadeloupean parents. She received her Associate Degree in Administration, Social Science and Economics, but wanted a career that focused more on social concerns. She therefore decided to earn a social work certificate in Quebec; since then her mission has been to improve children’s lives wherever she is.

Laura was born and raised in a small town in the South West of France. She fell in love with the English language as soon as she started learning it at school. In 2011, she moved to Bordeaux to study the English language, culture and literature for three years. After she graduated, she decided she wanted to become a teacher.  She obtained her Master’s in Education and started her teaching career.

She traveled to several English-speaking countries that she loved such as Scotland, Ireland, England and in 2019 she took a road trip across the USA. After this enriching experience, she decided she wanted to move here in order to improve her knowledge of this amazing country and discover new ways of teaching. She can’t wait to spread French culture to her new students and learn from theirs.  

Some of her priorities are to teach her students to be kind to others, understanding and open-minded. She will do her best to help her students develop their knowledge as well as their self-esteem. School must be a happy place to come to, and a safe haven to improve oneself. 

She is thrilled to be part of the Tessa adventure!

Thibault was born and raised in the French Alps. Before coming to teaching, he used to study anthropology, worked in manufactory, volunteered for a homeless children association and was an animator for several years. 

Thibault holds a Master’s degree in youth literature, a Master in anthropology, and a certificate in Education. When he completed the French National Exam for teachers, he practiced for the public sector in the marvelous city of Marseille before moving to Casablanca, where he taught in a bilingual Arabic-French school.

Thibault is very passionate about learning foreign languages, 20th century literature, choir singing, football association fandom and having long strolls. In his work, he is dedicated to enrolling students in cooperative pedagogy and creative projects with an interdisciplinary approach.

Fei was born and raised in China. She moved to the United States last year, as she obtained a bachelor degree in education. She has been working with kids for over a year, and looks forward to meeting your children. Fei loves traveling and cooking. 

Fei Xu was born and raised in China. After majoring in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at Beijing Normal University in China, she came to the United States and gained her Master degree in Education Policy at Columbia University. She has a teacher certification in China and used to be a math teacher in a high school in Suzhou, China. Additionally, Fei  had many experiences of teaching and tutoring students of different ages during my undergraduate study. She loves diverse and inclusive cultures and loves to embrace and learn new things, and has lots of hobbies like traveling, singing, drawing, cooking, and making ceramics.

Susan Yang was born in a little town called Ningde, in China. After graduating from Beijing Normal University with a Bachelor’s degree in Education, she taught Early Childhood Education at a teacher’s college for five years. She then moved to Cambridge, England with her husband. She obtained an MA in education at the Cambridge Institute of Education. After several years of enjoying English tea and customs, she decided to move to the USA, in 1992, and has been here ever since. She has worked in a private school for over 20 years, and has a passion for childhood education. She loves exploring, discovering and challenging herself as a teacher, trainer, and program director. She uses her previous educational experiences to bring out the best in each student! She loves being a teacher because she can touch each child’s life every school day, and she loves all the people that she has encountered. Because we are woven into the same universe that we live in, there’s always a purpose for all of us to meet! In her free time, she enjoys traveling to different parts of the world, taking long walks in nature, meeting different people and reading books of many different genres. She is excited to be a part of Tessa!

Qi Wen was born and raised in Hunan, China. She graduated from Steinhardt of New York University and has an M.A. in TESOL and TFL (Mandarin). After graduating in 2018, she has been teaching different levels and age groups for four years. She likes to play video games and loves to cook and eat spicy food. She is active, responsible, and enthusiastic about teaching, and loves to meet new people and experience new things. She always liked to incorporate her cultural skills into the curriculum design and teaching practice, such as Chinese Traditional Calligraphy, Er’hu, flute, and guitar. Her motto is “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” Not just because she is a foodie!

Xiaohan(Summer) Zhao was born in China and came to the US in 9th grade. She is a native speaker of Mandarin. She has firsthand experience in bilingualism, using Mandarin at home with her family and friends, while communicating in English with her colleagues at school. She developed her professional interest in bilingualism through her child as she observed him learning new languages. 

Summer holds a TCSOL (Teaching Chinese to Speaker of Other Language) certificate and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. As an undergraduate she studied Music and Technology at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. She specializes in multimedia teaching and her teaching style is neoteric, interesting, and well-organized. Summer has experience teaching students of a wide range of ages. 

Summer is a skilled pianist and contemporary dancer. She also enjoys skiing and cooking delicious Chinese food. 

She looks forward to teaching and spending time with your child at Tessa in our Mandarin program. 欢迎你！

Angelica has been working with children for seven years. She loves the great joy and rewards of teaching. She started by working in our summer program and is highly regarded for her organization and care of the children. She is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Early Education, and most recently was a Lead PreK3 teacher. She is a native English speaker, and Spanish is her second language, as she grew up with her grandparents always speaking to her in Spanish. Her favorite hobby is painting. She enjoys doing it, especially with the kid’s messy art (which is the best art!).

Emily was born in California, USA and grew up all over the States before her family settled in Florida.  In 2006 she graduated with a BA in Elementary Education and English as a Second Language and started teaching in Florida. Upon completing her MS in Reading Curriculum in 2012, she transitioned to teaching internationally and moved to London, England. While in London, she worked as a primary teacher and also a Literacy Coordinator for an international IB PYP school.  

After five years in London, she moved to Germany to work as a PYP teacher and worked at both an international and bilingual school. After eight years in Europe, she moved to Asia and spent two years teaching primary students at an international school in Shanghai, China.  

As an educator, she values diverse, multilingual environments and is passionate about combining intercultural awareness with social emotional learning to support the development of all students. After ten years abroad, Emily is excited to be back in her home country again and is thrilled to be joining the team at Tessa!

Born and raised in the Big Apple, Millie now resides in New Jersey where she enjoys frequent trips to the local library and outdoor activities. Millie has been an educator for over 30 years, and has loved every minute of it! During her tenure, Millie studied Child Development and Education, earning a B.S in Child Development with Human Family Services from Thomas Edison State College and an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Degree. Millie also has a Montessori International Diploma, completed during her several years as a Montessori Educator.

Millie’s first position as an educator was at the Hospital for Joint Diseases where she worked with physically handicap children. She later also served as an English Curriculum Educator. Languages are a passion for Millie; she is currently bilingual in English and Spanish and is improving her conversational French.

Millie is thrilled to join the Tessa International School’s team of experienced and accomplished teachers and supervisors. She knows that the incredible educational environment established by Tessa will be a valuable asset to every student who walks through those doors. Millie is thrilled to contribute to the Tessa community of teachers, parents, and students!

Anna hails from Westchester, NY and holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Cornell University and a certificate in English as a Foreign Language from the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Growing up, Anna was always an eager student, and she long imagined a career in teaching. She turned her sights from history to foreign languages after spending a semester abroad in Seville, Spain, in 2017, an experience which deepened her love of the Spanish language and inspired a lasting curiosity about other cultures.

Upon graduating Cornell in 2018, Anna spent two years working as an English Language Assistant at a primary school in Madrid, Spain. She shared lots of laughs, games, and smiles with her students, ages 6-11. In her free time, she began studying French, and two years later she participated as a Language Assistant at a secondary school in Saint-Étienne, France. In between, she has taught EFL and Spanish in the US to a diverse group of learners from teens to older adults.

Anna is excited to join Tessa’s multicultural  community of teachers, staff, and students, and to help build a more open, inquisitive, and interconnected world for our students.

In her free time, Anna enjoys baking, running, doing yoga, reading, dancing salsa, listening to podcasts and spending time with loved ones. She speaks English, Spanish, and French, and is learning Brazilian Portuguese.

Heilyn was born in Dominican Republic, and raised in Brazil. She followed a medical career as an orthodontist, ortho surgeon and nutritionist. She loves children and is a loving and organized teacher. She joined Tessa as a floater while completing her PhD in bio-medical. She enjoys taking care of children while being surrounded by different cultures and languages, as herself was raised trilingual, speaking both Spanish and Portuguese at home. Heilyn played the violin for 17 years, and practice contemporary dancing.