Click through the tabs below to learn about our incredible team members!!
Emma Johnson Executive Director I’m the founder of La Senda Spanish Center and a passionate educator with over nine years of experience teaching Spanish. I hold a double major in Spanish and Biokinetics from Bethel University. My journey with Spanish began when I was 13 - what started as a school subject quickly turned into a lifelong love for the language. I've had the privilege of living and teaching in Segovia, Spain, where I deepened my understanding of immersive language learning. Since then, I’ve taught in a variety of settings from primary schools in Spain to local programs here in Minnesota such as the Minnetonka Spanish Immersion program. |
Evy Noah Communications & Marketing director Hola I’m Evy! I started learning Spanish in preschool and elementary school in Alexandria, VA and then entered the immersion program at Minnetonka. I love working with kids and seeing them grow to love something as much as I do! I started working at La Senda as a counselor and I am now an after school instructor, site director and comm & marketing director. I am so excited to be at La Senda and continue to spread the love of Spanish! |
Nolan Schmidt Team director Hola, me llamo Nolan, and I love working with all of the La Senda staff. I am a graduate of the Spanish immersion program at Minnetonka. I have studied abroad in Argentina and just love learning about Spanish language and culture! |
Livi Dusek ¡Hola, me llamo Livi! I studied Elementary Education with a minor in STEM at Bethel University and graduated in December 2021. I grew up learning Spanish in school, and I love that I can continue speaking it beyond my years as a student. Working with children is my passion, and it brings me so much joy empowering them to learn a new language (and it’s a lot of fun!) |
Chloe Schwalbe ¡Hola, me llamo Chloe! I am a current 4th grade teacher and volleyball coach. I graduated from Bethel University in 2019 with an elementary education and social studies degree. I also recently graduated with my masters in Organizational Leadership. I have worked at camps for 8+ years and it brings me so much joy to see kids having a blast and learning new things! I have a passion for La Senda with our vision for celebrating Spanish and developing others. I am so excited to enter my third year working on La Senda! |
Audra Treburg Hola me llamo Audra! I graduated from Minnetonka High School and am currently a student at the University of Minnesota. I learned Spanish through the Spanish immersion program at Minnetonka, where my passion for the Spanish language and culture grew alongside my passion for helping kids build their love and enjoyment of Spanish. I have been working for La Senda since the very beginning and every year my love for creating a space where kids can have fun, learn and create their own passion for language has only grown more and more! |
Charlotte Gilkey Hola! My name is Charlotte and I attend the University of Minnesota where I am studying Spanish and Political Science. I found out about La Senda my senior year of high school through my Spanish teacher! I had so much fun at camp summer that I just had to come back. I have truly found passion in the Spanish language and helping others through my linguistics abilities. I am SO excited for camp this summer and eager to help campers make core memories associated with Spanish so that they can learn to love it as much as I do! |
Brittany Uittenbogaard Hola me llamo Brittany! I am a graduate of Minnetonka's Spanish Immersion Program. I love speaking Spanish and being able to teach kids what I know in a fun way! |
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Olivia Rindahl Hola, soy Olivia! Since kindergarten I have been enrolled in the immersion program in Minnetonka. I love watching children develop their love of speaking Spanish and encouraging them along their journey! I am very passionate about La Senda and its mission of discovering the path to learning and loving Spanish. |
Lila VanGoethem Junior site director Hi! My name is Lila and I learned to speak Spanish when I went to an immersion elementary school. I love Spanish because it is fun to be able to talk to native speakers. I love La Senda because it is a fun way to teach kids Spanish and have fun! |
Ani Dirks I go to school at Eden Prairie High School. I am going to be a senior next year. I have been learning Spanish since I was two and have been in an immersion schooling program my whole life. I am passionate about Spanish because I love the doors that it opens for me and how many more people I can communicate with since I can speak and understand Spanish. I am passionate about La senda because I want kids to love learning, speaking, and using Spanish as much as I do. 
Vera Ballard I go to school at Minnetonka high school and I am class of 2026! I learned, and am continuing to learn, to speak Spanish through minnetonka public schools in a Spanish immersion program that I started in kindergarten. I am passionate about Spanish because my grandma grew up in Mexico City and I love and am fascinated with Latin American culture. Lastly, I am passionate about being a part of the La Senda team because I want to teach others about the Spanish language and culture because it is so fun and interesting to learn! 
Claire Louis Hola! Me llamo Claire, I am a sophomore at Southwest Christian High School. I have learned Spanish through school! I love the language and being able to communicate with others in Spanish. La Senda is such a place of joy to share with others. 
Luci Penteado Hi, I'm Luci I am a student at MHS and a part of the class of 2028. I learned Spanish through the immersion program and Spanish has been so fun to learn and now I can speak with people from all around the world when I travel. I am so grateful to be on the La Senda team so I can teach the next generation how to communicate in Spanish. 
Jackie Loftus I go to school at Breck and learned Spanish from Deephaven immersion elementary school and take advanced Spanish classes. I have a strong love and passion for Spanish since I have been immersed in the culture my whole life and have grown a strong bond with Spanish. I am passionate about La Senda because I want to spread the love I have for Spanish to other kids because I believe Spanish is an important and fun language that I hope more kids can lear to love. 
Mackenzie Kollasch Hola, I'm Mackenzie! I'll be in 11th grade this coming Fall at Minnetonka High School. I've been in the Spanish Immersion program in Minnetonka since kindergarten. I like learning about different cultures and learning to speak Spanish is a gift that will impact my life forever. I'm excited to work at camp this summer to have fun and be a part of the kid's Spanish journey! 
Sophia Higgins I am an 8th grader at Minnetonka Middle School West, and I have been in Spanish immersion every year of school since kindergarten. I love speaking Spanish because it opens up opportunities; whether it's meeting new people or learning new things, and I also have a lot of family that live in Spain, so it's important for me to know how to talk to them. I'm very passionate about Los Angeles because it's a great way to meet new kids, speak Spanish, and have fun. 
Elsie Vogel ¡Hola! My name is Elsie. I will be a 9th grader Minnetonka High School this fall and I have spoken Spanish for almost 10 years. I am passionate about Spanish and La Senda because there is always more to learn about this language and you can always find ways to grow in your skills! 
Valerie Paine I attend Academy of Holy Angels and am a 2027 graduate. I grew up in a spanish speaking household and attended a spare elementary immersion School. I am passionate about spanish because I love being able to communicate with people from foreign countries and I would love to help share this language with others. |
Elly Heuer Hello! My name is Elly and I currently attend Minnetonka High School. I have been speaking Spanish for 9 years now and I am so pumped to work at La Senda! I am passionate about Spanish and La senda because it gives me opportunities to connect with kids that I wouldn't have otherwise! 
Ally Butz Hola! My name is Ally. I am a graduate of Hopkins High School and I am going into my junior year at the University of Iowa. I am studying International Relations, with a minor in Spanish, on a Pre-Law track. I started learning Spanish in Middle School, and became obsessed with language learning. I love that La Senda is dedicated to fostering a love for Spanish. 
Kate Josephson Hi my name is Kate I go to Minnetonka High School West and am going into 10th grade. I started learning Spanish in kindergarten at Clear Springs. I'm very passionate about learning Spanish because it gives you so many opportunities like talking to new people. I'm also very excited to work here at La Senda because I love working and teaching kids new things. 
Eva Chicre Hola! My name is Eva and I am going into 10th grade at EPHS. I went to Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion, I have taken all advanced Spanish classes throughout Middle School and High school, and both of my parents speak Spanish. I am passionate about Spanish because I think it is very beneficial in life to be able to speak more than one language. I am passionate about La Senda because I think it is an incredible way for kids to be able to continue to speak the language outside of school and build an appreciation for a different culture and language. 
Josh Bridge I attend Minnetonka High School, and I have been in Spanish immersion since kindergarten. I am passionate about Spanish because I think that it's a great language and that is has a great culture. I am passionate about La Senda, because I believe that it is important to get kids to learn to love the culture and language just as I do. 
Naomi Vega I'm a graduating senior from Minnetonka High School, on my way to the University of Iowa majoring in Spanish! I am a Puerto Rico native and have grown up with the language and culture and always dream of sharing that part of me with others, especially kids. 
Courtney Uittenbogaard Hi! I'm Courtney! I will be a freshman at Minnetonka High School in the fall. I went to Minnewashta Elementary and MMW and am part of Minnetonka's Spanish Immersion program. I've been taking Spanish since kindergarten and I love knowing 2 languages. I can't wait to help kids learn Spanish! 
Kim Ramirez I currently attend Chanhassen high school 10th grade I learned Spanish through my parents and Spanish immersion schools. I am passionate about Spanish because I think being bilingual or multilingual is important and opens doors for more opportunities. I am passionate about La senda because it's a great camp that offers great experience 
Stella Reierson I go to St. Therese. I learned Spanish by being in immersion since kindergarten I am passionate about Spanish because being able to speak it and teach others about it is fun! I am passionate about La Senda because I want to teach others Spanish and have fun.
Lila Swedlund Hi! I'm Lila and I have been in the Spanish immersion program in Minnetonka. I love La Senda because it has two of my favorite things, Spanish and kids! |
Autumn Ueland Hola! I'm Autumn Ueland, this is my 5th summer working at La Senda. This fall I will be a sophomore at Minnetonka High School. I have been in Spanish immersion since kindergarten and continue to be in it. I love Spanish and teaching it to kids because I can connect with so many more people and help them grow.
Andrew Goodier I'm going to be a 10th grader at MHS next fall and for me personally, knowing Spanish has opened up a room of opportunities. I'm excited to be working with elementary schoolers in La Senda to teach the next generation this incredible language that I've known since a young age. 
Lauren Johnson I go to MHS and I'm in 10th grade. I started learning Spanish when I was in kindergarten and I have done it every year and will continue it in the high school. I'm passionate about Spanish because you are able to learn about a different culture and you are able to communicate with different people. 
Lilly Gundecha I'm in 10th grade at MHS. I learned Spanish throughout my elementary school Clear Springs. I'm passionate about Spanish because I get to experience different cultures. I love working at La Senda and am so happy to be back this year, the kids and staff are all a joy. 
Gia Klobucar Hola! My name is Gia and next fall I will be attending Minnetonka High School as a 10th grader. I learned Spanish through the immersion programs at the elementary schools and have continued to study it throughout elementary and middle school, and hope to continue it at the high school. I am passionate about Spanish because it helps you to be in touch with another culture. You get to learn about different countries, people, and places. I love working at La Senda because it's amazing to be in such a caring and nurturing environment for kids to learn Spanish. It's always so fun because even as a counselor I get to meet new people and make new friends. The kids are always so amazing and it's so fun to see them learn and grow in the language and as people. 
Raveena Acharya Hola! My name is Raveena, and I'm an incoming sophomore studying Business and Spanish at Indiana University. I've been learning Spanish since I was 3, and I love it because it allows me to connect with and learn from different people and cultures. I'm passionate about La Senda's mission to create a learning environment that fosters a genuine interest in learning Spanish! 
Bristow Mahowald Hola! Me llamo Bristow. I'll be a sophomore at Hopkins High School in fall 2025. I've been in Spanish immersion since preschool and love learning languages. I speak Spanish fluently, am learning Portuguese, and will start French in 2025. I'm passionate about Spanish because I love to travel and connect with people. I also enjoy surprising others by speaking Spanish and eavesdropping in public. I'm excited to work at La Senda because it lets me share my passion for Spanish with others. :) 
Kaleb Rakers I am going to be a Sophomore at Minnetonka High School next fall. I have been in Minnetonka's Spanish Immersion program since kindergarten, and am taking several Spanish classes at the high school. I am excited to work at La Senda because I love that we foster an environment where kids learn Spanish in a natural way. 
Mason Heimermann Hola! My name is Mason and I will be a 10th grader at MHS. I am in Minnetonka's Spanish immersion program, and I have experienced many opportunities through it. I feel that La Senda is an excellent way for kids to learn Spanish because it mirrors the classrooms of many of my most successful Spanish teachers. |
