Team Members

I was born and raised in Fort Collins, CO and graduated from Colorado State University. I started a company called Elevate Your Communication 15 years ago and am still running it today.

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I recently bought a condo in Tulum and am very excited to improve my Spanish so I can communicate with all my new friends there! I love to travel and my husband owns restaurants in Fort Collins so food is our shared love language.

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Language goal: I have always been told that the best way to learn a language as an adult is to immerse yourself in it! I know that learning Spanish is a process, but I am very excited for this program to help me boost my process in a fun way.

I grew up in Michigan. I worked in finance for a baseball league prior to moving out to Colorado in 2020. Currently work in finance for Colorado State University. I have dabbled in many interests, including powerlifting, dance, and learning Spanish. Looking forward to meet you all.

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Language goal: Make progress in advancing from intermediate toward fluent.

I have spent most of my career as an elementary/middle school teacher and clinical psychologist. While I have retired from those two fields, I continue to stay busy with youth and adults as a volunteer in the RestorativeJustice Center of Fort Collins, for the Fuerza Latina Hotline assisting immigrant families, and as a reading volunteer at Irish Escuela Bilingue in Fort Collins.

 

Language goal: To have the opportunity to improve my conversational proficiency and comprehension.

I am a public defender in rural New Mexico. Originally from India, I moved to the US in 2005. Graduated law school in 2020.

 

Language goal: Become fluent in Spanish

I loved in 2005 to the USA from India. I am a charge nurse for over 35 years. I love nature and animals and have a German Shepard named Nox.

 

Language goal: Just an introduction to basic Spanish for the first time.

I live in Colorado with my husband, and I am a retired certified public accountant. My immediate family all live in Colorado, and we enjoy spending time together. I try to go outside for physical activity every day. I usually walk or ride my bicycle. Also, I study Spanish every day. I have taken Spanish classes for six years, and during the last two years I have taken classes with Olaf. I enjoy learning Spanish because, in addition to learning a new language, I learn about people and history. I enjoy the social aspect of meeting people while I am learning Spanish. For the last four years, I have had the pleasure of speaking with two young women from Ecuador twice weekly. They are learning English and helping me with Spanish.

 

Language goal: My goals are to use Spanish with those I interact with in Mexico and increase my ability to understanding what is being said to me by Spanish speakers.

I am a retired OTR. I've been married to Francis for 48 years. I volunteer at Irish Elementary Escuela Bilingue (in the 1st grade class of my granddaughter, Florence) and the city's restorative justice program. I have 3 adult children and 3 granddaughters. What keeps me occupied every week is exercise, walking, practicing piano, and speaking Spanish whenever I get the chance.

 

Language goal: To improve my vocabulary, use of subjunctive tense , ser y estar, more fluent conversation.

I am a Kansas native and resident. I work as a security analyst in healthcare IT. I enjoy living an active lifestyle and enjoy adventures of all sizes. Hiking, off-roading, camping, biking, kayaking, fishing... Trips to the Rocky Mountains are a yearly must. I also enjoy video and tabletop games. I have been out of the United States two times. One to Canada and the other to Ireland. I am looking forward to this course to expand my language versatility as well as have an amazing cultural experience in a place unlike any other I have been.

 

Language goal: I am hoping this program will supplement my current Spanish language skills and give me real-life, real-time experience with the Spanish language and culture.

Hello! My name is Sydney Wiggs! I am a box office manager for a set of Live Nation venues in Denver, Colorado. When I am not working, I love to travel, crochet, spend time with my boyfriend and dogs, and go to concerts! I look forward to improving my Spanish and getting to spend more time with my nana and mom, who are also going on the trip!

 

Language goal: Improve my Spanish speaking skills

Hello! I'm Celia, and I am so excited to go to Mexico City this summer. I love exploring a culture through its food, history, and art. I currently work in technology, but my real passions are anything creative and being in nature. I crochet, knit, and sew, and this summer I will be volunteering at a local farm, helping them with crop maintenance and harvesting. Right now, I live in sunny Fort Collins, Colorado, with my husband and our two cats.

 

Language goal: I would like to be able to communicate with locals enough to order at restaurants in Spanish and understand descriptions and explanations at museums

I am an avid language learner and musician, as well as a lover of nature, cultural experiences, and - of course - spicy food.

 

Language goal: To continue deepening my knowledge of the Spanish language through immersion and exposure to a variety of rich cultural experiences.

My name is Christy. I live on a farm in Northern Maine on the Canadian border. I'm retired now, but I spent more than 20 years working for Cooperative Extension in the 4-H Youth Development program in Maine and Colorado. I don't like cold weather, but I do love to ice skate and cross-country ski.  I've studied Spanish for a very long time, and I still dream of becoming fluent and being able to live in a Spanish-speaking country long enough to achieve that. My son-in-law is from Colombia, and my granddaughters are bilingual and have dual citizenship, so I love being able to share in their heritage and culture. I have made 3 trips to Guatemala through Pura Vida Ministries in Colorado and love that country and the people I've met there, including some of my sponsored students. 

 

Language goal: To be able to follow and understand spoken Spanish and to be able to participate in conversations with Spanish speakers.

Luciana Scrutchen, textile designer and educator, is an associate professor of fashion at Parsons School of Design, School of Fashion, and the associate provost for faculty affairs at The New School University. Her teaching and research center on the voices, experiences, and vantage points of Black women across lines of gender identity, complexion, and class. She also investigates textiles and technology's role in subsistence cultures, focusing on responsible materials, processes, and methodologies. Ms. Scrutchen received her MFA in Design & Technology from Parsons School of Design and holds a BFA in Weaving & Textile Design from Rochester Institute of Technology.

 

Language goal: To have an extent of comfort conversing in Spanish as it relates to cultural contexts.

Growing up in rural New Jersey, I had an exceptional high school Spanish teacher who helped me fall in love with the language and culture of Spain. I chose to major in Spanish in college and spent a year in Madrid. After college, I taught second graders in a bilingual parochial school in South Texas. When I couldn't stand the year-round heat of Texas, I moved back to the northeast, where we have four distinct seasons and one of them features snow. I taught young children in Maine for 40 years and retired in 2020. It's time to get back to my love of the Spanish language and the rich cultures where it is spoken! I also enjoy skiing, hiking, bicycling, swimming, photography, and fiber arts, including knitting, quilting, and weaving. I live in Houlton, Maine, with my husband, and we have one adult daughter.

 

Language goal: There was a time that I was fairly fluent in Spanish - probably 40 years ago now. I would like to regain some fluency and learn more current expressions in order to be able to travel in Spanish-speaking places confident that I will be able to communicate with local people.

I work in IT. I'm married. I have 3 adult children. I have lived in Colorado my whole life. I got an undergraduate degree at CSU and a master's degree at Regis. We like to travel, going on cruises, snorkeling, and going to Disney parks. I'm doing this trip with my mom and my daughter.

 

Language goal: Know enough to be comfortable traveling.

I live in the country south of Greeley, Colorado. Have been retired for some time. I taught Health Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado for 22 years. I am the only one in my family that is not bilingual. My family will not speak to me in Spanish because my Spanish is so bad. I finally have my granddaughters living within 1 hour of my home so I am in heaven.

 

Language goal: To improve listening and speaking skills.

I am an interior architect and designer and own a design firm with my mom. We specializes in boutique hospitality and residential design that is heavily influenced by our travels and brand stories. I am married to Dylan (also coming on the trip) and we live in Fort Collins! I have lived here since ‘09 and went to Colorado State University. My love for the arts, architecture and language lead me to living in Italy with a host family for a year.

Language goal: fluent in Spanish!!! Specifically increasing my confidence in speaking.

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Language goal: My goal is to work towards becoming more fluent in Spanish so I can feel comfortable communicating while in Mexico City.

My name is Kristen Sanborn. I am a Colorado native, I am in my 30s, and I currently live in Salina, KS.  I am a senior financial accountant for a hospital and enjoy playing racquet sports, especially tennis, hiking, paddleboarding, playing the piano, cooking, traveling, and learning new languages. I attended Olaf's Spanish Immersion course in Todos Santos a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the experience, so when I found out he was organizing a trip to Mexico City, I had to sign up! I am looking forward to meeting everyone, exploring Mexico City, and continuing my Spanish language journey!

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Language goal: My goal is to work towards becoming more fluent in Spanish so I can feel comfortable communicating while in Mexico City.

I’m a program coordinator for leadership development at CSU and I have the distinct privilege of taking students on Global Leadership Experiences abroad a couple times a year. Every year I take them to Todos Santos in the Fall and partner with Olaf to lead cultural immersion programs that focus on building and enhancing students cultural competencies and their intercultural leadership capacities. Most of my extended international experience and cultural immersion language learning has been in the context of East Africa, where I have spent over a year of my life living in Uganda. In 2022 my wife Audrey and I participated in the Spanish immersion trip with Olaf & Lili in Todos Santos before I had students arrive, and we loved it. We have been hoping to do another trip with Olaf & Lili ever since.

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Language goal: My goal is to work towards becoming more fluent in Spanish so I can feel comfortable communicating while in Mexico City.