Emma FreebersyserExecutive DirectorHola, I'm "Profe Emma!" I'm a student at Bethel University double majoring in Spanish and Biokinetics. I started learning Spanish in school when I was 13 and slowly realized how much I enjoyed it! Since then, I've had the amazing opportunity to live in Segovia, Spain to pursue my passion of learning and teaching Spanish. In addition to working at primary schools in Spain, I have also been a Spanish Instructor at Excelsior Elementary for four years and worked with Minnetonka's Spanish Immersion program. As the executive director, I get to help kids and their families become part of the Spanish Camp community!
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Livi DusekOperations Director¡Hola, me llamo Livi! I studied Elementary Education with a minor in STEM at Bethel University. I grew up learning Spanish for 6 years in school, and I love that I can continue speaking it beyond my years as a student. Working with children is my passion, so it brings me so much joy coming to Spanish camp and empowering them to learn a new language (and it’s a lot of fun!) One of my absolute favorite things about camp is watching the growth in their confidence throughout the sessions. It's also really cool to see the friendships that come out of camp; the community we have built at La Senda is so much fun!
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Maija KangasProgram DirectorHola! I’m Profe Maija! I’m going into my junior year at Minnetonka High School, and I've been in the Spanish immersion program with Minnetonka since elementary school. I love working with kids and sharing in their journey of learning to love Spanish as much as I do! Seeing their confidence grow through all of the fun activities we do is an amazing experience. I believe that the ability to learn and speak Spanish is a gift that opens up a world of opportunities as the kids grow and expand their horizons. I love being able to share this gift with them! My favorite part about camp is seeing the kids really come out of their shells throughout the week and have such a blast. I love seeing all of the smiles!
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Audra TrebergAdmin CoordinatorHola, I’m Profe Audra! I am a student at Minnetonka High School, and am going to be a senior in the fall. I learned Spanish through the immersion program starting in elementary school and I plan to graduate with an IB bilingual diploma, as I start my second year in the IB program this fall. As a leader, I really enjoy building passion and confidence in the kids that I mentor because it is so exciting seeing kids grow and learn in a way that builds character. My favorite part of camp is water day, because all of us have a ton of fun playing and learning!
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Hanna GoesLevel 1 CoordinatorHola, I’m Profe Hanna! I’m a sophomore at Purdue University majoring in Biological Engineering. I had the opportunity to live in Mexico for 5 years and I was able to learn all the Spanish I know there. Ever since, I love speaking Spanish and teaching others too. I taught at Excelsior Elementary for 2 years and I absolutely loved sharing this passion of mine with the students and seeing them as excited as I was to learn a new language. I want to help kids build more confidence when practicing their Spanish and make it a fun and enjoyable experience for all! My favorite part about camp is seeing the kids’ excitement and the spark of joy in their eyes as they learn Spanish in a fun and dynamic way.
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Nicole GoesLevel 2 CoordinatorHola, I’m Profe Nicky! I am a junior at Minnetonka High School. When I was younger I had the amazing opportunity to live in Mexico for 5 years which allowed me to become fluent in Spanish. This grew my love for the language and the culture which motivated me to share my knowledge with others. This is my first year teaching Spanish at Excelsior Elementary School and I am loving it! I love the excitement the kids have when learning, how curious they are about the culture and language, and how they truly enjoy being in class. My goal is to make Spanish fun and to help the kids build their confidence when speaking the language. My favorite part of the camp is how we get to know each kid personally throughout the week while having fun and learning!
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Nolan TrinhLevel 3 CoordinatorHola soy Profe Nolan! I went to Minnetonka High School and am planning on attending The University of Minnesota Twin Cities Carlson School of Management. I have been learning Spanish since I was in kindergarten at Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion school, and am now still enrolled in the Spanish immersion program. This will be my second year at Spanish Camp and I'm excited to be involved in it! I want to help the kids have fun learning a new language and I’m looking forward to creating some awesome summer memories!
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David ReisenauerLead CounselorHola, I’m “Profe David!” I’m a student at the University of Minnesota–Rochester studying health sciences. I started learning Spanish in my freshman year of high school and quickly developed a passion for the language! Through my desire to learn and the investment from my teachers, I was able to complete 6 years worth of Spanish curriculum in just 4 years! I love working with kids to help them develop a passion for the language–it’s not what you can do with the language but what the language will do for you! I also always struggled with confidence in my Spanish, so it’s a joy to work with kids to establish supportive and uplifting confidence and community from an early age! My favorite part of camp is watching as kids learn and grow. Seeing their eyes widen when they grasp the language and to continue to encourage them to learn to love Spanish is one of my favorite things!
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Akshitha GinugaLead CounselorHola, I’m Profe Shay! I recently graduated from Eden Prairie High School and will be at the University of Michigan in the fall. I was taught Spanish from kindergarten but truly started learning in my freshman year of high school. I’ve taken 3 college-level Spanish classes in high school and will study Spanish in college. I’m here to make learning Spanish a fun experience for everyone. Learning in the classroom can sometimes get boring between worksheets and flashcards. I’m a hands-on learner and I know a lot of others are too so I will be making sure learning Spanish is memorable! I’m most excited to help kids find their favorite part about learning Spanish whether that is a game, a song or just some phrases they like saying.
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Brittany UittenbogaardLead CounselorHola, I’m Profe Brittany! I go to Minnetonka High School and I’m going into my freshman year. I have been learning Spanish since I was in Kindergarten at Minnewashta Elementary, and I am still in the immersion program learning more and more spanish every day. Being a lead counselor shows my passion for spanish that I have had ever since I was little. I wanted to be a part of the community and all the fun that everyone has at camp! It is so fun to be able to watch these kids grow confidence in their spanish speaking skill. I would say that my favorite part about camp is all of the different spanish songs that we learn throughout the week, and I also really enjoy water day!
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Erin Kubik
Program AssistantHola! I’m Erin! I go to Chaska High School and will be a junior this fall. I am just learning Spanish and find it fascinating to see all the little kids who already know so much. I work here because of La Senda’s mission. I love that here we focus on passion and fun. Providing kids with a place to learn and discover what learning Spanish can do for them and how it can be fun. My favorite part about camp is the opening when we watch silly skits and dance and sing. I love to see the kids open up and see how fun camp will be within the first 15 minutes.
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Autumn Ueland
Jr. CounselorHola, me llamo Autumn, I just finished at Clear Springs and I'm 11 years old and going into sixth grade at Minnetonka Middle School West. I have been in spanish immersion at school since kindergarten. I work here because I have a passion for teaching kids Spanish and helping them learn. I love the crafts, singing, dancing and games at camp.
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Kayla DelariaJr. CounselorHola, I’m Profe Kayla! I’m going to be in 7th grade at Minnetonka Middle School West. I started speaking Spanish at Minnewashta Elementary in Kindergarten. I’m still in Spanish immersion, learning so much! I work at La Senda Spanish Camp because I want to help kids grow a passion for Spanish learn Spanish by speaking instead of forcing kids to do tests and memorize. I think that confidence is so important, so that if they mess up a couple of times they will still stick to Spanish, and if we have fun at camp with them they will know that Spanish is fun! My favorite part about camp is that we are going to be teaching kids Spanish when they don’t realize it, and they're gonna have so much fun!
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Megan EisenmannJr. Counselor¡Hola! I’m Megan! I go to Minnetonka Middle School West and I will be a 7th grader next year. I first learned Spanish in kindergarten in the Spanish immersion program at school, and I’ve known how to speak Spanish ever since! I wanted to work at spanish camp because I never had a fun environment to learn Spanish without the stress of learning vocab words and studying for tests, and I want to help other kids have that fun environment at camp where they can learn spanish in a fun and practical way. My favorite part about camp is hanging out with younger kids. I love learning about them and seeing their unique personalities. I can’t wait for the next camp!
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Ingrid BillsJr. CounselorHola, I'm Ingrid! I am going into 6th grade at MMW and am in the Spanish immersion program. I love Spanish Camp because it is fo fun seeing all the kids happy and excited about the activities! My favorite part is water day :)
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