Hello! I'm Eric Breland and I teach American Sign Language or ASL at 2 campuses LASA and Anderson High School. I teach levels 1-4 and am the only ASL Teacher at both of my schools.

I began my ASL language learning journey at the age of 13 and am still on that journey today. I believe you never stop learning, growing, and changing as long as you are still alive and breathing. I received my AA in Interpreting for the Deaf from Tarrant County College and my BS in Rehabilitation Counseling with a minor in Chemical Dependency from the University of North Texas. I obtained my teacher certificate through Texas Teachers and am certified to teach ASL, Special Education K-12, and General education 4-8.

When I'm not teaching, I enjoy playing games including board, computer, console and table-top; cooking; poetry (I am a published poet and have toured performing my original poems across the United States); watching football (HUGE Green Bay Packers fan); Netflix binge watching; Sci-Fi; bowling (I bowl in a weekly league); traveling both inside and outside of the US;

¡Saludos! Bonjour! I did my first schooling years in Mexico before I moved to the Rio Grande Valley. I studied 3 years of French in High School where I fell in love with the language and culture. In my college years, I continued to study languages. I first received my Associates in Spanish & English translations. Later, I did my B.A. in Spanish and English from the University of Texas Pan American (now UTRGV) and finished it off by living and studying French and Spanish in France at Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux III. I received my teaching certificate in Spanish and French and I have been teaching since 2008. ln 2016 I moved to Austin to teach at McCallum High School. It was around that time that I began to learn German. I am a language learner for life and I am honored to become part of the LASA family!

Hello! こんにちは！

I'm Ms.Karch (Karch sensei). I'm from Tokyo. I have been teaching at LASA for many years. Before coming to LASA I worked at the language school and international schools overseas.

I'm excited to start the new school year and see you soon!

Bonjour! I grew up in Oregon, and just moved to Austin. I lived in France for a school year, where I taught English, after finishing my Bachelor's at the University of Oregon. I received my MAT from Southern Oregon University. I started learning French at 14, and now I'm a lifelong learner! When I'm not teaching, I love spending time with my cat (named Ellie), playing board games, cooking, and listening to podcasts. I'm so excited to be here!

I have been teaching languages since I graduated from SMU and returned from studies in Berlin in 2006. My passion for German language, literature, and culture grew out of my time spent with my grandmother, who was born in Berlin in 1942. Outside of teaching English, German, and Italian before coming to LASA, I also took classes to improve my Spanish and Dutch, along with some beginner courses in Mandarin Chinese and French. Languages have been a lifelong passion of mine since I first learned German nursery rhymes from my Oma. Alongside my fascination with languages and cultures, I grew up being very active in marching band. I have always loved team sports and have been a member of a championship masters rowing team with the Texas Rowing Center for the past 4 years. I enjoy reading and writing in my free time. All 3 of my brothers live in Austin, including my twin brother.

Profe Ramírez has lived in Austin since 2006. He's originally from Palmview, Texas, a border town of the Rio Grande Valley. His family has lived in Texas and México for many generations, and is a heritage learner of Spanish. He first taught at Del Valle High School and came to LASA in 2017.

He graduated from UT Austin in 2010 with a double major in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish Language Teaching. He was also wrote for The Daily Texan Newspaper, was a lifeguard at Gregory Gym, and a member of the UT Longhorn Singers show choir where he was Costumes Coordinator and Social Chair. In the summer of 2009 he was an intern reporter at KXAN Austin News.

In 2012 he was Video Producer and Social Media Specialist for Digital Marketer and AbsoluteRights.com (now Breaking News Alerts) and reported from the GOP Convention in Tampa, Florida where several of his stories received national air time on CNN. He also was the Digital Content Specialist at the 2013 Traffic & Convention Summit in San Francisco, California.

Profe Ramírez is also lead singer of Son de Rey - a Latin Alternative band who has received several accolades including Austin Music Award nominations and a city proclamation. In 2012 they released an EP, and a full length album in 2015. Son de Rey has also worked with many Grammy Award Winning acts, producers and accomplished musicians, and has toured throughout Texas.

He has studied in Spain over the last few summers, and in 2020 he will earn his masters in Spanish Language and Culture from the University of Salamanca. His thesis is on "Selena Quintanilla: A Motivational Figure in the U.S. Spanish Language Classroom."

He enjoys traveling, collecting art and Nickelodeon cel animation, dancing, designing clothing, hanging with friends, and family time.

When I was in college, I got a lot of skeptical looks when I told people I was majoring in Latin. “But what will you *do* with such a useless major?” was probably the most common response. I had a lot of answers up my sleeve -- everything from “writing incantations for shows like Buffy and Supernatural” to “translating for the ancient Roman ambassador at the UN, of course” -- but now I teach Latin for a living, which is very possibly the best job in the entire world. (Except astronaut. Nothing trumps astronaut.)

My Latin adventure actually began at Kealing Jr. High (before it was a middle school) and continued at LASA, so I have officially been reading -- and loving -- Latin for over half of my life. When I’m not teaching Latin, I am often doing such exciting things as reading Latin alone, reading Latin with friends, speaking Latin with friends, listening to Latin podcasts, writing Latin stories, and attending conventions to learn to teach Latin better. My favorite color is purple, my favorite root beer is Abita, and my favorite dinosaur is Procompsognathus (sorry, Raptors).

I am originally from Mexico City and have worked for 15 years in environmental engineering and safety. In 2003, I relocated to Austin, TX. Throughout the years, I have also been teaching Spanish.

Hello！大家好！

I am Zhong Laoshi, and I am delighted to be your Mandarin Chinese teacher. I have had the pleasure of teaching Mandarin Chinese for many years here at LASA, and I am thrilled to be part of this wonderful educational community.

Before joining LASA, I had the opportunity to teach both Chinese and Physics at other public schools, where I gained valuable experience in diverse teaching environments. In addition, my background in higher education and private industry has enriched my teaching style and approach.

Originally from the vibrant city of Guangzhou, China, I bring with me a deep appreciation for Chinese culture and history that spans thousands of years. Growing up in Guangzhou also allowed me to become fluent in Cantonese and gain an understanding of Hakkaness, another fascinating Chinese dialect.

Aside from my passion for teaching, I have a keen interest in traveling, exploring new places, and discovering the beauty of different cultures. When I'm not teaching or traveling, I cherish spending quality time with my family, as they play a most significant role in my life.

I genuinely love teaching and being able to work with students like all of you. I am committed to creating a positive and engaging learning environment where we can explore the wonders of Mandarin Chinese together. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you and having an unforgettable year filled with learning and growth. 欢迎! (Welcome!)