2025-2026 FLTAs

Greetings! My name is Alper, and I am the Turkish instructor at Yamada Language Center’s Self-Study Language Program. I was born and raised in Kocaeli, but all my academic accomplishments took place in and revolved around Ankara, the capital city of Türkiye. I am fluent in both Turkish and English, as an English philologist (both Bachelor’s and Master’s from Hacettepe University), and a holder of TÖMER Teaching Turkish as Foreign Language Certificate. I have been working as an English instructor for nearly a decade, and as a Turkish instructor for approximately 2 years in Türkiye. Aside from my academic accomplishments, I always associate my work with folklore, music, history, mythology, and culture as a whole. My hobbies include linguistics, education, culture, folklore, storytelling, medieval poetry, stage arts, culinary arts, traveling, and above all, music

I hold a degree in English Language Arts and a postgraduate degree in Inclusive Education. Throughout my career as an English teacher, I have worked with diverse audiences, age groups, segments and social backgrounds.

In the midst of the pandemic, I took a second degree—Portuguese Language Arts—and immersed myself in a new challenge: teaching Portuguese to foreigners.

Born in Manaus, surrounded by the forest, and raised among the mountains, I am a lover of nature, hiking, rock climbing and also of dance and other things related to music.

I am very proud of my Indigenous heritage and my Brazilian northern culture. The truth is, I am passionate about BRAZIL and I love sharing this passion with my students at the University of Oregon.

I am Amira M. Abbid, a dedicated educator and linguist from Cairo, Egypt- MISR. My professional journey includes serving as a Teaching Assistant at the Canadian International University in Giza since 2019, where I was honored as one of the best TAs twice (in 2022 and 2025). I hold a degree from Ain Shams University's Faculty of Arts, Department of English Language and Literature, and I successfully completed my Master's in English Linguistics and Translation in February 2025.

With ten years of experience, I specialize in teaching English Linguistics and English as a Second Language. Currently, I am expanding my experience as a Fulbrighter in the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program, teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.

My native language is Arabic, and I am fluent in English and a bit of French. Outside of my academic focus, I enjoy travelling, learning new cultures and languages, and pursuing active interests like cars, driving, music, and organization.

Mabuhay! I am Elizabeth P. Gaña, Tagalog beginner tutor for Fall term at Yamada Language Center. I came from the province of Pampanga, the culinary and Christmas lantern capital of the Philippines. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Arts in Education major in English. I have been a teacher for almost a decade now teaching English, writing, research, and professional education.

Currently, I am a tertiary teacher in Pampanga State University and an emerging researcher. I am also one of the Filipino Fulbright scholars assigned to be Foreign Language Teaching Assistant for 2025 to 2026 at the University of Oregon. I am multilingual with Capampangan as my mother tongue, Tagalog as my native language, and English as my second language. I am interested in plants, poems, movies, and travelling. I am looking forward to meeting you in my Tagalog class. Tara na at alamin natin ang kultura at wika ng Pilipinas!

Jambo!

My name is Catarina, and I’m from Tanzania, the land of Mount Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and, of course, great vibes!

I graduated in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, and I’m thrilled to be here as your Swahili Instructor at Yamada Language Centre. I’m passionate about languages, cultural exchange, and good food... especially when I get to cook it myself!

In my free time, you’ll probably find me reading Swahili literature or dancing to some Bongo Flava music.

I warmly welcome you all to my Swahili class, let’s dive into this rich, fun, and beautiful culture together.

Karibuni sana, and don’t worry, we’ll take it one “pole pole” step at a time!