Staff
Teresa Valdez, PhD
Director
(585) 275-5156
tvaldez@ur.rochester.edu
Matt Confer
Department Coordinator
(585) 276-6701
mconfer@ur.rochester.edu
Program Assistants
Joel Escobar Amurrio
Hi! My name is Joel, I'm from Arlington VA, and I'm in class of 2026. I am a brain and cognitive science major but in my free time I like to do origami and am president of the Men's Ultimate Frisbee team.
Natália Bigolin Groff
Hello!! My name is Natalia, and I am from Brazil. I am part of the class of 2027 majoring in Mechanical engineering with a Music minor. In my free time, I enjoy dancing and doing yoga.
Zaynab Khan
Hi everyone, my name is Zaynab Khan! I am a part of the class of 2026 and I'm majoring in Economics. I love learning about different languages and immersing myself in various unique cultures. Outside of school, I enjoy thrifting, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Hiroka Kurita
Hello! My name is Hiroka Kurita, but you can call me Hiro! I use she/they pronouns and I am a sophomore intending to major in psychology and minor in Spanish. I am planning to be active in Rice Crew. I love cooking (although I'm not great at it) and origami!
Julia Owsianska
Cześć! My name is Julia and I will be tutoring Polish. I was born in Poland but have lived in England my whole life and continued to speak Polish at home. I’m in the class of ‘26 at UofR, majoring in biochemistry with a bioethics minor. I love traveling and visiting new places as well as running! I’m also a big supporter of danford over douggie.
Sarah Pirzada
Hi! I’m Sarah Pirzada and I’m from Queens, New York. I’m a part of the class of 2027 and I’m majoring in Economics.
Maria Sanni
Hi, my name is Maria Sanni! Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, I’m currently majoring in environmental health and economics. I aspire to become a physician assistant in the near future.
JoĂŁo Silveira
Hello! My name is João and I’m from Curitiba, Brazil! I’m an economics and psychology major in the class of 2028. I’m involved in Club Tennis, CRU, the Finance and Economics Club, and am part of the Brazilian Student Association leadership team. Outside school I like to eat out, travel, and spend time with friends!
Areti Tsirikaki
Hey! My name is Areti, and I am from Athens, Greece. I am a part of the 2025 class, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Italian. I am also a member of the varsity volleyball team, The Women’s Network, and Morgan’s Message. In my free time, I love spending time with my friends, watching romcoms, and playing beach volleyball!
Language Tutors
American Sign Language
To be announced.
Arabic—Salsabel Al-An
Salam! My name is Salsabel and I am from Iraq. I am a part of the class of 2027, majoring in ECE and minoring in Italian. I love learning new languages and exploring different cultures through travelling and making multicultural friendships.
Chinese
To be announced.
French—Génia Abbey
Salut! My name is Génia, I use she/her pronouns, and I'm from outside of Buffalo, NY. I'm a sophomore intending to triple major in French, music, and comparative literature. In my free time, I enjoy reading, doing yoga, being in nature, and spending time with my dog, Riona.
German—Elena Bachmann
Hi! I'm Elena Bachmann, and I'm a member of the class of 2027. My majors are German and Economics. On campus, I am involved with the Campus Times, Outing Club, and Women's Club Soccer. Some hobbies of mine are skiing, singing, and reading.
Ancient Greek and Latin—Claire Wilcox
Hi! My name is Claire, and I’m from the Bay Area in CA. I’m in the class of 2026, pursuing a double major in classics and philosophy. The languages I’ll be working with this year are Latin and Ancient Greek. I’m passionate and excited about both so please feel free to ask me about them. In my free time, I’m a member of the club sailing team here at UR. I’m also a part of a book club, and I like to cook/bake. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Hebrew—Lia Polster
Hello! My name is Lia Polster and I am from Cleveland, OH. I am a member of the class of 2027, majoring in Linguistics with intended minors in Film and Media Studies and Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy dancing (any style) and learning bits of new languages.
Italian—Areti Tsirikaki
Hey! My name is Areti, and I am from Athens, Greece. I am a part of the 2025 class, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Italian. I am also a member of the varsity volleyball team, The Women’s Network, and Morgan’s Message. In my free time, I love spending time with my friends, watching romcoms, and playing beach volleyball!
Japanese—Hiroka Kurita
Hello! My name is Hiroka Kurita, but you can call me Hiro! I use she/they pronouns and I am a sophomore intending to major in psychology and minor in Spanish. I am planning to be active in Rice Crew. I love cooking (although I'm not great at it) and origami!
Korean—Juneha Seo
Hello! My name is Juneha and I am from Seoul, South Korea. I am part of class 2027, double majoring in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Psychology. I am interested in learning new languages (currently learning ASL) and cultures. Also, I enjoy playing the piano or listening to music in my free time!
Polish—Julia Owsianska
Cześć! My name is Julia and I will be tutoring Polish. I was born in Poland but have lived in England my whole life and continued to speak Polish at home. I’m in the class of ‘26 at UofR, majoring in biochemistry with a bioethics minor. I love traveling and visiting new places as well as running! I’m also a big supporter of danford over douggie.
Portuguese—Natália Bigolin Groff
Hello!! My name is Natalia, and I am from Brazil. I am part of the class of 2027 majoring in Mechanical engineering with a Music minor. In my free time, I enjoy dancing and doing yoga. I am very passionate about the diversity of Brazilian cultures, and I love living in a culturally diverse community :)
Russian
To be announced.
Spanish
To be announced.