BRUNO ALBUQUERQUE
Biodata
Multi-skilled professional who works as ELT materials writer and editor, teacher educator, speaker, academic coordinator, and course designer. Content Editor at Edify Education, president of BRAZ-TESOL's São Paulo Chapter, and member of BRAZ-TESOL's national advisory board.
Experienced in writing and editing digital and print ELT materials for schools and publishing houses, designing training sessions and courses, and speaking at digital and face-to-face ELT conferences in Brazil.
Statement of purpose
I firmly believe in the power of teacher communities and teacher development and how their cascade effect can impact thousands of students.
I have been been a volunteer at BRAZ-TESOL for the past 10 years as a minder, member of the Brasília Chapter, Vice-President and President of the São Paulo Chapter, and Advisor for the National Executive Board.
I want to continue my volunteer work at our institution which has shown me that I can be an agent of change in our community and that one day when I am experienced and competent enough, I will be able and proud to join the executive board.
RENATO ROCHA
Biodata
My name is Renato, I'm a 21 years old teacher based in Brodowski - SP. I've got a "Letras (Pt/En)" degree and some Cambridge qualifications, but I'm always looking for more. I've been a teacher for almost 4 years working mainly for English schools, but nowadays I'm teaching YL at a primary school in Ribeirão Preto - SP. I love literature and I'm always willing to discuss and share ideas, especially about british authors.
Statement of purpose
I am applying for this advisory member position because I believe that education has a huge impact on our society and, above all, on the lives of our students, especially the new generation.
I apply for this position in order to be part of this group and to be able to contribute so that many other young teachers, like me, can feel welcomed and see how beautiful their work is and should be valued despite the adversities. Our work is often exhausting and demotivating, but it is only after we see the success of our students or their willingness to learn that we realize how we can change lives and how we directly affect the future of those who cross our path. I want to be able to help other people like me who have been transformed by learning English and who know the value of a humanized education.
As an advisory member, I intend to assist and further enable the professional growth of teachers, contributing with ideas, experiences and giving voice to our colleagues so that we can all grow together, taking into account our students and exalting our participation in the contribution of a more united world.
RENATA CONDI
Biodata
Renata Condi is an experienced educator who has been working in a variety of English teaching contexts since 1993. Currently, she is a professor at private universities, a basic education coordinator, a coursebook author, and a consultant for schools which aim to implement bilingual education or invest in professional development. Renata has a PhD and an MA in Applied Linguistics, an MBA in School Management, post-graduation diplomas in Education and Educational Technology.
Statement of purpose
Since I started working in the EFL, ESL and EAL worlds, back in 1993, one of my aims was to find ways to make a difference. As a result, I have tried out, developed projects and lived unforgettable experiences being “different” in the classroom, making students and teachers feel recognized, making them think creatively and responsibly. Experience has also taught me that we need to get involved to keep making a difference and to be able to reach more people. The best way of doing that is working with the foundation of everything in a school - with the teachers. We all need to feel that we are part of something bigger, that we are understood, that we share similar feelings, that we are supported, that we are united. And that brings me to one of my purposes for running for a position on the advisory council: share and apply my experiences, contacts and expertise to help in the building of this sense of belonging that is so typical of Braz-Tesol members. Also, I may say that my years in the field have helped me see solutions in complex situations as well as look for incremental innovation to improve English teaching and learning in Brazil. Thus, I feel that I can create a positive impact as a member of the advisory council.
FABIANA MULITERNO
Biodata
Fabi is an active teacher of Young Learners, Teens and Adults. She has been actively participating in the last BRAZ-TESOL International Conferences, either as a presenter or as a minder. She is proud of being an active member of the EFL community, and she has been the social media coordinator for the YLTSIG for the past 1,5 year, being one of the responsible teachers for raising the number of followers significantly.
Statement of purpose
I would like to become a part of the advisory council because I believe in the impact of a voluntary teaching community, especially because I’m living proof of how much it can change a teacher’s life. Let me explain.
I’ve been a teacher for the past 20 years. I’m proud of my history because it has led me to where I am now, but I have to confess that in the first 10 years of my journey I really had no idea what I was doing. Then, around 8 years ago I discovered the BRAZ-TESOL community and it was a watershed moment for me. Since I’ve started, I’ve been able to attend several lectures, I’ve met amazing people who have given me invaluable insights, and I’ve discovered a researcher side that I had no idea I had. That has also led me to love my work as a volunteer for the YLTSIG.
Therefore, I believe that as part of the advisory council I can continue my volunteer work with the community and help other teachers who may be struggling to find motivation to continue, with access to information and to a community which can help us move on.
MARCOS ZANOTTI
Biodata
English teacher for more than 20 years. hold certificates like Celta, ICelt and Train the Trainer. Has worked as a teacher tutor for about 7 years. Nowadays, responsible for the management of in house and online groups at Seven Idiomas, working as an Educational Manager.
Statement of purpose
I have been atttending Braz-Tesol events for a long time. I have always loved to help people achieve their dreams and goals through education, and Braz-Tesol is a wonderful tool to amplify this concept to teachers and, consequently, to their own students, impacting people from all over our country. And that is possibly what we do best: change, transform people, so that they can be better able to change and transform the world.
I believe that I have the skills to help Braz-Tesol with organizing events and with the fulfilling of the aims of the organization. I am always willing to help!
CAROLINA CUNHA
Biodata
I have been an English teacher for over 20 years. I hold a BA in English and an MA in Sociolinguistics from UFMG as well as the TKT and the CELTA. I currently work as a freelance teacher and teacher trainer in my own language studio. Furthermore, I am the leader of the Minas Gerais Chapter (former Belo Horizonte Chapter).
Statement of purpose
I have been a member of BRAZ-TESOL since 2017 and in 2019 I became even more involved with this organization as I committed to participating in the then Belo Horizonte Chapter board. I’ve been the leader of the now Minas Gerais Chapter since 2020. I am running for this position because I've always believed I could make a difference in the ELT community. I have over 2 decades of experience teaching English in different contexts and the classroom is the place where I thrive and where all the knowledge acquired with my studies throughout the years comes into play. As I love challenges, I believe that taking over a position in the advisory council will help me improve as a professional, and it will be a valuable opportunity to develop new skills. Being a chapter leader made me realize I also thrive among teachers – sharing my knowledge with them and helping them flourish.
THIAGO NASCIMENTO DOS SANTOS
Biodata
Thiago is an experienced teacher with more than 14 years of experience in English Language Teaching. Graduated in Modern Languages - Portuguese & English (2010) with a postgraduate degree in Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language (2011). Held a TEFL/TESOL teacher training certificate (2013), the Cambridge CELTA (2017) and Cambridge First (B2). In the past years he has been the leader of BRAZ-TESOL RN Chapter (2021-2022) and part of the Advisory Council (2021-2022).
Statement of purpose
The reason why I am running for this position is because I have been an active member of BRAZ-TESOL for over 10 years and the amount of knowledge I have acquired through the association, network, different perspectives of language education, research have helped me perceive teaching in a different way from the way I was used to know. Besides, getting more mature after the first term as part of an advisor council, I know that I can contribute in many possible ways I just need to know how, which is clearer now than before. Thus, I would say that I look forward to be able to contribute even more from my region to the executive board in order that BRAZ-TESOL continue to be a reference of association to all English teachers across the country as it has been to me since I was introduced to its work and mission.
LUIZ AFONSO
Biodata
Luiz Afonso Baddini has a degree in Languages, Pedagogy, postgraduate degrees in Human Resources Management and Digital Technologies, and Innovation in Education. He is a Public-School English Teacher. He holds ARELS (Oxford), ECPE (Michigan), CAE, TKT (Cambridge). He has worked for Bilingual Schools and Binational Centres. He has also performed as a Teacher Trainer for Teaching and learning process management as well as the use of resources for language teaching..
Statement of purpose
I personally feel that advisory is a term that can mean many different things depending on the setting. Teachers fulfil many roles in today’s world and one of the most important is the role of a leader. Teacher leadership occurs every day in the classroom and provides an environment that enriches the live in contact with the students and all the professionals. As a member of the largest association of teachers of English to speakers of other languages, I would be very glad to be a collaborative as well as a committed professional as usual, nevertheless, putting into practise several things I suppose to be essential to our great community, such as passion, integrity, collaboration, communication, positive attitude, confidence, and inspiration. I believe that keeping our huge team moving forward and focused on the long-term goals will continuously feed our colleagues' passion by staying on top of the latest evidenced based practises for teaching.
AJ DALMASO
Biodata
AJ has been a teacher for over 13 years now. With a degree in Languages, and as a Diversity Director for an NGO aimed at mental health for minorities, they are a non-binary activist of LGBTQIAPN+ causes who works hard everyday to be a better person for themself, for others and for the world. They believe language and representativeness walk hand in hand.
Statement of purpose
I am running for this position because I truly believe we, as facilitators and agents of change, must fight for equality everywhere, and our association can't be any different from that. We need diversity at BRAZTESOL. We need people who are trans, black, of colour, indigenous, with disabilities, lgbtqiapn+, and many other minorities, in our Board, urgently. We need minorities making important decisions within our Association. We need minorities in high positions, sharing their enriching knowledge and experience. I strongly believe it will help improve our beloved Association. We need diversity. We must see diverse faces here. And I am sure I am one of those people who can offer that, together with my peers, and make our dear BRAZTESOL a more welcoming place to us all.
LUCAS RIGONATO
Biodata
Lucas has been involved in English language education for almost 20 years now, having acted in regular schools, language centers and higher education. He is interested in strengthening our community of teachers in Brazil by joining Braz-Tesol as an advisory council member. His interests range from Critical Applied Linguistics, Teacher Education, collaborative learning and decolonial studies, especially investigating the topics of body and discourse in language education.
Statement of purpose
I have decided to run for this position because I believe we need more people in our community that are willing to collaborate, and to put in the work needed so we can continue building bridges and inspiring our colleagues across Brazil.
After working as a professional in our field for almost 20 years now, and having the opportunity to wear different hats during this time, the experience I have gathered, as well as my interest to learn and help, could be put to use to contribute with our community in scale.
As a member of the advisory council, my ultimate goal is to contribute with improving the state of the art of our craft - English Teaching and Learning - in our country, any way I can. I strongly believe teachers in Brazil have a lot more to share and (why not?) teach other communities across the globe. By strengthening our numerous SIGS and local chapters events, we can reach more fellow teachers who could use the support that only a community like Braz-Tesol can offer.
HENRIQUE ZAMBONI
Biodata
Henrique Zamboni has been in ELT for 15 years. He has worked for different language schools as a teacher and teacher trainer. He holds the CELTA, the C2 Cambridge Proficiency, a degree in Letras and a degree in Marketing. Henrique has been writing ELT-related articles and has been involved in other literary projects. He is the founder of Inglês Para Adolescentes, where he teaches teens and also mentors teachers of adolescents.
Statement of purpose
I have had amazing support from the BRAZ-TESOL community in the last years. I know many teachers who have had their professional lives positively impacted after taking part in online events or face-to-face conferences. As a matter of fact, I am one of those teachers. Therefore, I can see how relevant and reliable this association is when it comes to taking teachers’ careers to the next level.
I have been helping with the monthly bulletin in the last months and I have realized that being involved in communications is special and rewarding. I would love to be part of the team and help spread the word to teachers around Brazil and the world.
I am communicative, diligent, creative and people-oriented. I understand that the BRAZ-TESOL community is all about giving back, engaging, and sharing. Therefore, I believe I have what it takes to boost the team’s performance.
CRISTINA BORDINHAO
Biodata
Cris Bordinhão is passionate about people and culture, and believes being able to communicate well is one of the keys to making the world a better place. She is a cultural projects analyst at Cultura Inglesa, where she is part of the group in charge of the cultural portfolio for students. She holds the CPE, CELTA, AnaheimTESOL and has an MBA in Marketing. She is part of the YLTSIG and studies storytelling, drama, and culture.
Statement of purpose
Being able to share ideas with fellow peers since I’ve joined BRAZTESOL has made me a better professional and I do believe I can help the community to grow and develop together. Having an open relationship with members is key and fostering diversity is beneficial for both the community and the world; one of the main ideas I have to offer as part of the BT advisory council is to improve even more the communication between members, especially due to my expertise in social media marketing and copywriting skills. I want to help teachers expand their skills and their view of the world, making them better professionals and citizens.