Staff
Teresa Valdez, PhD
Director
(585) 275-5156
tvaldez@ur.rochester.edu
Undergraduate Assistants
Zaynab Khan
Hi everyone, my name is Zaynab Khan! I am a part of the class of 2026 and I'm majoring in Economics. I love learning about different languages and immersing myself in various unique cultures. Outside of school, I enjoy thrifting, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Khue Nguyen
Hi! My name is Khue (Katie), originally from Vietnam, and I am part of the class of 2025. I major in Business Finance and Data Science. I have studied French and Chinese and learning languages is one of my biggest passions in life.
Sarah Pirzada
Hi! I’m Sarah Pirzada and I’m from Queens, New York. I’m a part of the class of 2027 and I’m majoring in Economics.
Gabriel Plata
Hi, my name is Gabriel and I am part of the class of 2027. I love to study the intersection between language and culture, and as a result, I am double majoring in Anthropology and English. I speak Spanish and study French. Playing guitar, tennis, and traveling are some of my hobbies.
Lorraine Tshamekang
Lorraine is in the class of 2026 pursuing a bachelor's degree in engineering science but is considering making a switch to optics. She completed her A levels at Maru-a-Pula High School in Botswana earning her a full merit-based scholarship from the Government of the Republic of Botswana. Her hobbies include dancing, running, and watching movies. Her current campus involvements are the Ma’Frisah Dance group, Student Alumni Ambassadors, the Pan-African Students Association (PASA), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
Lissen Turner
Hi! My name is Lissen, and I'm in the class of 2026. I'm majoring in ASL and double minoring in psychology and political science. I am also involved with ASL club and Sihir Bellydance club!
Anna Zhou
My name is Anna Zhou and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am part of the class of 2024, majoring in biomedical engineering with a biomechanics concentration. I am a first year academic fellow and I'm involved in clubs such as Rotary International, Archery, and Badminton. Outside of U of R, I'm an avid piano player and I love gardening.
Tutors
American Sign Language—Lissen Turner
Hi! My name is Lissen, and I'm in the class of 2026. I'm majoring in ASL and double minoring in psychology and political science. I am also involved with the ASL club and Sihir Bellydance Club!
Arabic
To be announced.
Chinese—Junwen Peng
Hi everyone, My name is Junwen Peng. I am from Shanghai, China, and I am part of the class of 2025. I major in Business Analytics, Economics, and German. In my free time, I love to spend time in nature and engage in various sports activities. I can’t wait to meet everyone in the language center!
French—Génia Abbey
Salut! My name is Génia, I use she/her pronouns, and I'm from outside of Buffalo, NY. I'm a sophomore intending to triple major in French, music, and comparative literature. In my free time, I enjoy reading, doing yoga, being in nature, and spending time with my dog, Riona.
German
To be announced.
Ancient Greek and Latin—Claire Wilcox
Hi! My name is Claire, and I’m from the Bay Area in CA. I’m in the class of 2026, pursuing a double major in classics and philosophy. The languages I’ll be working with this year are Latin and Ancient Greek. I’m passionate and excited about both so please feel free to ask me about them. In my free time, I’m a member of the club sailing team here at UR. I’m also a part of a book club, and I like to cook/bake. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Hebrew—Lia Polster
Hello! My name is Lia Polster and I am from Cleveland, OH. I am a member of the class of 2027, majoring in Linguistics with intended minors in Film and Media Studies and Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy dancing (any style) and learning bits of new languages.
Italian— Areti Tsirikaki
Hey! My name is Areti, and I am from Athens, Greece. I am a part of the 2025 class, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Italian. I am also a member of the varsity volleyball team, The Women’s Network, and Morgan’s Message. In my free time, I love spending time with my friends, watching romcoms, and playing beach volleyball!
Japanese—Hiroka Kurita
Hello! My name is Hiroka Kurita, but you can call me Hiro! I use she/they pronouns and I am a sophomore intending to major in psychology and minor in Spanish. I am planning to be active in Rice Crew. I love cooking (although I'm not great at it) and origami!
Korean
To be announced.
Polish—Julia Owsianska
Cześć! My name is Julia and I will be tutoring Polish. I was born in Poland but have lived in England my whole life and continued to speak Polish at home. I’m in the class of ‘26 at UofR, majoring in biochemistry with a bioethics minor. I love traveling and visiting new places as well as running! I’m also a big supporter of danford over douggie.
Portuguese—Natália Bigolin Groff
Hello!! My name is Natalia, and I am from Brazil. I am part of the class of 2027 majoring in Mechanical engineering with a Music minor. In my free time, I enjoy dancing and doing yoga. I am very passionate about the diversity of Brazilian cultures, and I love living in a culturally diverse community :)
Russian—Timothy Kulchitsky
Hey everyone, my name is Tim, and I’m a computer science major with clusters in linguistics and music theory. I was born in Alaska, but I know Russian from my parents, who have Russian and Ukrainian roots. Outside of coding, I love traveling, language learning, photography, and cooking.
Russian—Maria Vardanyan
Hi! My name is Maria (Masha) and I am from Armenia. I am in the Class of 2027 and I am majoring in Physics and Astronomy. I love learning phrases in different languages and impressing others with my immense knowledge;). Fun fact: the three languages I am fluent in have 3 different alphabets.
Spanish
To be announced.