ENGLISH DEPARTMENT – SUMMER 2007

My name is Westenley Alcenat. I graduated from Southwest High School in Minneapolis and now attend Macalester College in St. Paul. I have always been involved in working with kids and have enjoyed doing so. I served as a Sunday school assistant for a year at Straitgate Church in Minneapolis, where I later became a Sunday school teacher for two years. I am currently a tutor at the Somali Education center. As part of the BSP faculty, I will be teaching English this summer. I enjoy reading and writing essays and poetry, and I am excited by the opportunity to help middle school students improve their English skills.

I'm Lizzie McNamara, a senior at Macalester College in St. Paul. I was born in Boulder, Colorado and grew up in Dallas, Texas. I love swimming and I’ve been playing water polo on the Macalester team for three years. We went to D3 Nationals in California this year! I’ll be teaching English at Breakthrough this summer and I am so excited because I have always loved reading. I hope some of you will be finishing Harry Potter along with your homework this summer, because I will be too! When I graduate from college I want to teach English in high school, so I hope that Breakthrough will give me experience to get started in my future career.

My name is Celeste Prince. I will be a sophomore at Macalester College in St. Paul, and I’m from Lakewood, Colorado. I am teaching English at BSP. I love English because it is a portal of expression; it’s not just about books and essays – it’s about learning how to be a storyteller. At school, I sprint for the track team and work as VP for the Black Liberations Affairs Committee. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies, reading, writing and crocheting. I am teaching at BSP this summer because I’m really excited about sharing my passion for English, and I want to inspire students to think for themselves rather than relying on what others believe.

My name is Melinda Yang, and I will be a sophomore at the University of MN next year. I plan to pursue an education major, and am working toward that goal. I will be teaching English this summer. I feel that communication is an essential skill to have in this globalizing world, and writing is the ultimate form of communication. I am teaching at Breakthrough because I want to help students gain the tools necessary to express their thoughts and ideas. My hobbies include reading (the final installment of Harry Potter is coming this July!), running, and watching Food Network (30 minute meals anyone?).