About Us

Teachers

Maritza Hurtado

Spanish Language Teacher

Maritza is a Spanish teacher from Colombia. She moved to Adelaide in May 2016 from Bogota. She has a Bachelor in Education with an emphasis in Humanities and Languages. She started teaching Spanish about ten years ago in the United States as part of a Spanish and English cultural exchange program.

Maritza’s experience in the private sector has helped bring a well-organised structure to her teaching.

She is an enthusiastic person, and she loves helping students to understand the different aspects of learning a second language such as expressions, general background and of course, the culture.

Diego Herraiz

Spanish Language Teacher

Diego is a Spanish teacher from Rosario, Argentina. He moved to Brazil in 2000 and since then has had a solid career as a teacher, translator and consultant for almost 20 years.

He has worked as a teacher and Spanish / Portuguese translator for approximately 50 renowned multinational companies in the oil and the aviation industries and customer services sectors. He has also worked as a Spanish language consultant for television advertisements and marketing.

He specialises in preparing for the DELE (Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera) which are official Spanish language proficiency diplomas, organised by the Instituto Cervantes and granted by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
Diego was invited to be a Spanish language examiner for candidates for positions in the United Nations in 2009.

A passionate and energetic Spanish Teacher, Diego loves History, Latin culture and he has visited more than 20 countries, bringing the cultural experiences which he has lived to share with his students. He has experience with group or individual classes for all ages with specific understanding of learning styles and teaching strategies.

Jairo Fernandez

Spanish Language Teacher

Jairo is a Spanish teacher from Bogota, Colombia. He has a Master degree in Literary Creation in Spanish and a Bachelor in teaching foreign language (Spanish, English, French). He has more than 12 years’ experience as a teacher. He is also a writer and proof-reader for some independent publishers in Colombia. Jairo has recently moved from Brisbane where he worked as a virtual and face-to-face Spanish tutor.

Jairo is passionate about teaching and his style is based on the development of communication skills, the teaching process for understanding and the development of multiple skills and the learning process for his students. His classes are dynamic and very entertaining, allowing the participation of students with role-playing games, playful activities and continuous discovery.

He is passionate about art, literature and languages and he likes to spend his time reading, watching movies and learning about the cultural and linguistic features of the places he visits.

Alina Herrador

Spanish Language Teacher

Alina was born in Marbella, Spain, but has spent most of her life in Madrid. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours in teaching Spanish Language and Literature. With over seven years of experience teaching Spanish, Alina is dedicated to helping her students learn and grow.

She is dedicated to her work and finds joy in continuously learning something new. She firmly believes learning a new language can transform a person’s soul.

Miguel Angel Ramirez

Spanish Language Teacher

Marjorie Aguayo

Spanish Language Teacher

Marjorie Aguayo, originally from Ecuador, holds a degree as a general practitioner from Ukraine, where she discovered her passion for teaching. With over six years of experience, Marjorie has taught Spanish to students around the world, using both English and Russian as bridge languages. Her teaching experience spans both online and in-person formats, allowing her to connect with diverse learners.

Marjorie believes that learning a language is not just a technical process but a new way of seeing life through the eyes of others. She takes pride in sharing the rich cultural heritage of the Spanish language and her Ecuadorian roots.

An avid lover of art in all its forms, Marjorie seeks to make creativity an integral part of her life and teaching. She also loves meeting new people, finding meaningful ways to connect with them, and exploring nature and new cultures. Her love for teaching goes beyond a profession—it’s a calling. As Marjorie often says, “Teaching chose me, not the other way around,” reflecting her deep dedication and enthusiasm for fostering connections through language, culture, and creativity.

Maricela Chavarria

Spanish Language Teacher

Maricela is a Spanish and English teacher from Costa Rica. She has a Master’s degree in Administration Education and a Specialization in teaching Spanish as a Second Language from the Technological of Costa Rica. She has more than 10 years ‘experience as a teacher.

Mari is passionate about teaching and travelling, her style is focused on communicative skills, and the development of the learning process is based on the student’s needs, enhancing their abilities in different fields of knowledge. Maricela is dedicated and enjoys helping the students to learn and grow to reach their goals.

Other Staff

Ricardo Ramirez

Director and Teacher

Ricardo is one of our enthusiastic Spanish teachers and is from Colombia. He is a specialist in curriculum and pedagogy. He has a Bachelor in Education with majors in Humanities and Languages and a Master of Arts in Education with a major in Leadership and Management at Flinders University.

Ricardo has extensive experience in the design and implementation of academic programs in language teaching and educational support for students and teachers to create learning environments. Ricardo has taught English and Spanish in Colombia to children and adults in schools and universities, and lived in London for two years where he studied English.

He is passionate about teaching and interacting with people. He is convinced that in the process of learning any second language the motivation comes from using the language in real life contexts where the students can internalise the knowledge they acquire. Ricardo has an excellent sense of humour and is a very sociable person. He arrived in Australia in 2016, but in that short period of time, he has enjoyed not only the Australian culture but also the people.

Aloysius Leeson

Website Maintainer

Since he was a young child Aloysius has always had a love of languages, leading him to live in France as an exchange student during high school, and later to go and live and work in Japan. However Spanish is the language that captured his heart, during the years he spent in Spain studying the guitar.