Staff

Our president, Andreína Ojeda, founded Lingua Language Center and has been the Center’s head since its inception in 1998. Andreína excels in entrepreneurial and managerial skills, as well as language-based skills such as language training research, writing, translation and interpreting, and cross-cultural training. Her experience in the field has driven her to successfully develop a proven methodology called EnterTraining℠, which is also internationally acknowledged. She possesses a Master’s Degree in International Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Modern Languages from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas, Venezuela.

Prior to founding Lingua Language Center, she worked at Lingua International in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as Director of the Spanish Language Department where she developed executive level curricula for the school. She has also served at the Secretariat of the Republic of Venezuela as head of the Language Translations Division, the United Nations Development Program, the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District in California and Bayer Corporation, among others.

Andreína is proficient in several languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. She has participated in research on learning and created alliances with professionals in the fields of education and translation throughout the world. Under her mandate, LINGUA provides its clientele with the highest level of language training available. She supervises the coordination of the language programs at Lingua Language Center, as well as the translation and interpretation projects of her company, Lingua School, Inc. Andreína oversees all language services provided by the organization so that they comply with the highest standards in the industry. She ensures that the techniques and materials used are in tune with the latest and more advanced trends to ensure exceptional results.

She has received multiple awards and recognitions for her voluntary work. Her extensive community service also includes fifteen years of providing ad honorem language services, i.e., language training and translation/interpretation services to low-income families of Broward County and enrichment programs for children in rehabilitation at the Here’s Help Foundation, among others. Andreína was awarded a Hispanic Woman of Distinction of South Florida award in 2015 for her extraordinary professional and community work.

Welcome letter:

Dear Student, Thank you for your interest in the unique language programs offered by the Lingua Center at Broward College (Lingua). Your decision to speak and master English or a foreign language is an important step towards your academic, professional and/or personal growth. At Lingua, we share your goals and are committed to providing you with an enriching, enjoyable and rewarding learning experience. Our natural, communicative approach to language training is called Enter-Training^SM, entertainment and training. Following the principles of neurolinguistics (multi-sensory practice through visual, auditory and physical activities), we promote rapid language acquisition for learners at all levels. Our mission since 1998 has been to provide effective language education leading to the mastery of a new language.

Our programs – Intensive, Semi-Intensive and Part-Time English; English Conversation & Accent Reduction; TOEFL test Preparation; Business English; Customized and Corporate English and Foreign Languages; and Customized Immersion Language Boot Camps – offer the Lingua student the best of both worlds, language education excellence based on human interaction, supported by cutting-edge technology and a rich student life.

We offer support services to international students, including orientation, accommodation, transportation, medical insurance and field trips. Additionally, our students benefit from daily interaction with American college students. They can make a new friend at the college coffee shop, have a lively conversation at one of the student lounges, and stroll along beautiful Las Olas Boulevard to a nearby restaurant, art gallery or the beach. They have access to discounts on local events, public transportation, etc.

The information presented in our website, will be useful in determining the program that best suits your needs. Please contact us again if you have any questions or if we can provide additional assistance. We are available to process your enrollment and assist you in achieving your language goals.

 

Erwin Richter possesses a Master’s degree in International Business Management from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. With over twenty years of International Business and Marketing Consulting experience, Erwin’s hands-on management style brings Lingua’s multicultural and multi-lingual philosophy to recruiters and students from around the world. His work experiences include advertising and consulting for ABC, CBS and FOX affiliates, and international wholesale sales experience with a strong focus on increasing market share and maximizing sales and profits. In his past positions as General Manager for multiple corporate businesses in the U.S. and abroad.

He carefully oversees the marketing, advertising, and public relations of the company, focusing on the Internationalization of our programs.  Erwin’s goal is to strengthen the growth and development of the School by continuing to focus on superb academic excellence and maintaining a mutually beneficial partnership with all of our partners.

Carolyn Hernandez has been teaching English and Spanish for more than 20 years and has been in her current position of Academic Director since 2015. She obtained her B.A. in Spanish/Modern Languages from Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, Vt. She is a native English speaker who is fully fluent in Spanish, both written and verbal, and has basic written command of both French and Italian. She did her graduate work in Spanish at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain (while enrolled at New York University) and additional graduate work towards an M.P.A./Public Administration, through SUNY Albany in New York.

She has taught high school Spanish, ESOL and World Culture at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y., as well as English at Colegio Claret High School in Caracas, Venezuela, where she lived for ten years. Carolyn  has also taught at Berlitz Language Centers in the past and at LINGUA School since 2000, all while running her own successful wine/liquor business from 2003 to 2014.

In addition to ensuring academic excellence and the quality of Lingua’s programs, Carolyn also serves as the school’s compliance officer for maintaining accreditation standards (ACCET) and has been responsible for successful reaccreditation/accreditation of new branches in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021 and also for the creation and ACCET approval of four new non-sequential language programs to expand upon Lingua’s offerings, once students have graduated from the core Intensive English Program.  Carolyn is also the school’s SEVIS PDSO (Primary Designated School Officer) tasked with ensuring that all regulations and guidelines are met for students enrolled under the SEVP F-1 student program, and for supervising a team of DSO’s to this end. Carolyn is committed to ongoing learning, student support, and to making a difference by ensuring a language program that is effective in helping students achieve mastery of a new language.

Dr. David Moore is the Associate Vice President for International Education at Broward College (BC) in Fort Lauderdale, a post he has held since July of 2005.  At BC he is responsible for the creation and development of academic affiliations, articulations, and exchanges with colleges and universities overseas, as well as overseeing study abroad programs.  He also serves Broward College as the BC liaison to the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and School (SACS).

In a career in education that began as a classroom teacher of social studies in 1977, Dr. Moore moved to the collegiate level as an administrator in 1981. He has spent the last 34 years in college level academic administrative positions. He served as the Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Clearwater Christian College (CCC) in Clearwater, FL for 17 years before moving to St. Petersburg College (SPC) to serve for five years as the Director for Dual Credit and International Studies.  Under his tenure, the program added student enrollments and study abroad destinations and developed a collegiate high school.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Moore has taught history on the college level for 25 years at both CCC and SPC.  He holds the BA in education from CCC (1977), and both the MA in history (1980) and Ph.D. in higher education curriculum (1990) from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Moore has served on teacher education program review committees for the DOE and served on 20 SACS Commission on College site visit teams, and as the chair of eight, throughout the southeast region of the United States.

Luis Ramirez has been in the business world since an early age, after graduating from high school. Luis began learning about business and entrepreneurship in his home country of Mexico, when his uncle decided to mentor him in the operation of his transportation company in the area of logistics/operations. At the time, Luis was also attending University to pursue a B.A. degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management. Luis’ uncle instilled in him to always have an entrepreneurial mindset, and a strong work ethic, and Luis therefore considers his uncle the very first and most influential mentor that he had early in life.

Luis was then presented with the opportunity to come to the United States and he decided to pursue the path of learning English as a Second Language to be able to further expand his opportunities. Luis studied ESL at Unilatina International College in Miramar, Florida for nearly 2 years and is fluent in the language. Subsequently, he completed his A.S. in Business Administration. During his schooling at Unilatina, Luis worked at a Beauty School as a Financial Aid Officer processing FAFSA applications for new students and assisted the accounting department with bookkeeping tasks. Luis was hired by Lingua in 2015 as an Administrative Assistant and was then promoted Branch Manager for the Doral Branch when it opened its doors in 2018. Luis has been instrumental in the success of the operation of the Doral Branch, with the support of all Lingua staff, and he is responsible for  the implementation and improvement of the school’s systems to optimize the company’s operations.

Luis has now been promoted to Lingua District Manager and he will continue to contribute to the growth and development of Lingua Language Center.

Fausta Lucente has been employed at Lingua Language Center since 2016.  Fausta studied Modern Languages and has a B.S. in Education. She is fully fluent in Spanish, Italian and English. Prior to relocating to the United States, Fausta taught  French, English and Italian in her home country of Venezuela and she also worked in retail business as a customer-oriented and strategic-thinking sales professional with over 20 years of experience.

At Lingua, Fausta began as an administrative assistant at the Ft Lauderdale main campus, then she became the Center Coordinator responsible for the administrative management of Lingua’s Weston auxiliary center.  Fausta was also assigned as the translations and interpretations project manager for the school.

In January 2022, Fausta was promoted to her current position of  Academic Coordinator, directly assisting the School Academic Director in the coordination of classes, teacher training, and in developing strategies to improve student performance and collaborating with school administrators,  among other duties.   Fausta  is committed to ongoing learning, and in ensuring teacher and student support in the learning process.

Angela Lucente is the Branch Coordinator for Lingua’s  Ft. Lauderdale main campus and the Coconut Creek auxiliary location.  Angela has many years of experience in business operations in her home country of Venezuela, as part owner of a family-run chain of retail stores and pharmacies.  Angela has been employed by Lingua since 2017. She began as an Administrative Assistant, and was later promoted to Branch Coordinator. Angela has a degree in Modern Languages, and is fluent in English, Italian and Spanish. She also taught English, Italian and French part-time, while living in Venezuela. 

Angela prides herself on her organizational and problem-solving skills and her wide range of knowledge and experience, and she strives to provide the best customer service to students and teachers at Lingua. As Branch Coordinator at Lingua’s main campus, Angela is in charge of sales, and administrative management for both main campus and the auxiliary campus of Coconut Creek.  Her main goal is to see happy and satisfied students and teachers at Lingua as a result of effective team work!

Gabriela is originally from Maracay, Venezuela, where she graduated from Jose Maria Vargas University with a degree in Architecture. In addition to her previous projects in architecture, Gabriela has also had the opportunity to hold numerous positions in the management and sales fields for a combined 20 years of expertise.  Gabriela’s positions have included Project Manager, Site Manager, and General Manager.

In her role as Enrollment and Support Specialist/DSO, Gabriela is dedicated to providing exemplary customer service. Gabriela is determined to work towards increasing Lingua’s student population, while also ensuring that LINGUA stands out in the industry.  Gabriela believes that this determination will lead to students excelling in their various language experiences, wherever they make take them.

Senior Teacher Daniel Stein has been with Lingua since 2014 and teaches multiple levels of our Intensive English Program. He holds a BA degree in Spanish Studies and Business Administration from Sacred Heart University, Fairfield Ct. and he attended the University of Bridgeport School of Law in Bridgeport, Ct.

Daniel was employed for seven years as a Senior Admissions Specialist for Concord Law School of Kaplan University, in Ft. Lauderdale FL. prior to coming to Lingua, and his past experience also includes over three years of teaching and tutoring English for Speakers of Other Languages for South Broward Community School and Talk International language institute.

Daniel is TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certified. Daniel states that learning has been a life-long passion of his, and that teaching enables him to gift this passion to others, which provides him with a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

Senior Teacher Jesus Cabrera has been with Lingua since 2017 and teaches different levels of the Intensive English Program. He earned a BA degree in Foreign Languages major Linguistics at the University of Havana, Cuba and graduated from the BS Education Program major TESOL at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale.

Jesus has taught English, French, Spanish, and Italian as foreign languages in middle and high school and college level in Cuba, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and in the United States as a teacher at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he retired in 2017. Jesus has been teaching for 45 years and has also worked as a freelance translator for several publications abroad.

Jesus asserts that teaching is not a job but a profession that is deeply rooted in a vocation to guide others along the learning process with love and sensitivity to diversity.

Senior Teacher Maria E. Anaya has been with Lingua since 2018 and teaches multiple levels of our Intensive English Program as well as the TOEFL Prep Course. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in Elementary Education.

Maria has been teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language for over 40 years in well-known schools, language schools, universities, and private tutoring in Lima, Peru as well as in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Weston, Florida, U.S.A. both in person and online, teaching students of different nationalities and cultures.  

Before moving to the United States, Maria was employed for seven years at Universidad del Pacífico, as English Language Instructor, and eight years at Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen, as ESOL Teacher, during the same time in Lima, Peru.  

Prior to coming to Lingua Maria taught at The Language Academy of Fort Lauderdale for over 9 years teaching Speakers of Other Languages and being the TOEFL Lead Instructor. She also holds experience teaching at UCEDA School and Berlitz, among other Language schools 

 Maria is also a Certified Cambridge Oral Examiner and has been testing students for Cambridge tests both here in the United States and in Aruba for the past 6 years.  

 Maria is TESOL/TESL/TEFL Certified. Maria states that her passion for teaching started at the beginning of her career when she taught her first class and realized how gratifying it was to see the glow on her students’ faces when they realized they are able to communicate in a language different from theirs; this provides her with a great sense of satisfaction, fulfillment and accomplishment. 

Senior Teacher Santiago Pinto has been with Lingua since 2018, where he taught Intensive English at Lingua’s Fort Lauderdale main campus.  Santiago  now teaches at Lingua’s Orlando branch. Santiago grew up in New England, in Winchester MA where he graduated from Winchester High. After getting a hospitality degree from Boston University and working for different hotel companies, he created Hospitality Training International, providing training and consulting services to hospitality organizations around the world. 

After 25 years of training and coaching experience, he received his English Teaching Certification at the Trinity College in London. Santiago’s motto is that English is the Language of Planet Earth and learning it requires discipline and commitment. Santiago states that he loves teaching “this wonderful language” and he is  passionate about helping people from different cultures and every walk of life to develop their skills to better understand and communicate with each other.

With over ten years of teaching experience, Santiago has taught English in London, Japan, Dubai, different locations in the United States, South America and the Caribbean.

Senior Teacher Brad Jackson grew up in Fort Lauderdale, moving away when he was 19 to earn a degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Brad then lived in Tampa, working in the fields of television production and social work before he set off for a round-the-world journey which lasted for 14 years.

It was during this time that he developed his English teaching skills, having taught English as a Foreign Language (as well as psychology and sociology) in seven different countries. Along the way, he found a natural inclination, as well as a passion, for teaching English, and he decided to make this official by earning his CELTA certificate at International House in London. 

When Brad came back to the U.S. in 2020, he decided to once again call Fort Lauderdale his home and began working for Lingua Language Center. Teaching English has turned out to be his calling, and he could not be happier than at Lingua, where he finds the company culture positive and welcoming

Senior Teacher Ellen Baumgartner completed her TEFL training at International House, London in 1993 and then started teaching at a private language school in Zug, Switzerland where she was residing at the time. Ellen also taught at the Basel branch of the school and was responsible for Cambridge Exam classes: First Certificate, Advanced and Proficiency.

After moving back to the USA in 2002, Ellen completed her Master’s Degree in English Language Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and began teaching there at their Intensive English Program. Ellen taught academic English to international students who intended to enroll in American universities for 12 years.

In 2019, Ellen relocated to South Florida and taught at UCEDA School of Boca Raton for about 2 years, and she has been with Lingua since August 2021.

In her free time, Ellen enjoys reading, traveling and trying new restaurants. She is also an avid animal lover, especially dogs and cats.

Senior Teacher Berta Sanders has been with Lingua Language Center since 2021, where she has been teaching  advanced levels of  Intensive English at the  Lingua Weston Center.   

Berta has a Master’s Degree from the University of Salamanca, an MBA from the University of Miami, and an MS in TESOL from Saint Thomas University.  Berta is certified in teaching TOEFL and advanced  grammar. 

Berta loves what she does, and this is reflected in the popularity of her classes among Lingua students.