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Vivian, BA, Grad Cert in TESOL, is an experienced and innovative educator with over 30 years of teaching English and Arts and Crafts in both Hong Kong and Australia. She has also taught Chinese (Cantonese) at the Wollongong Community Language School. Vivian has tutored at WEA Sydney and MCC since 2022. She believes in facilitating creativity, confidence, and lifelong learning through hands-on, student-centred approaches. Driven by a passion for teaching, Vivian enjoys sharing her knowledge and creative techniques with students in a fun and engaging learning environment.

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Mia Tsikrikas, (Master of Teaching, BA (Honours Class I)), has taught English Literature for the past six years and has been at the WEA since mid-2022. She majored in eighteenth-century literature, with minors in Ancient History and Italian, and received first class honours for her thesis on eighteenth-century ballet and its influences on the literature of its time. Mia is a creative at heart and enjoys writing short stories just as much as she does reading them, as well as picking up her crochet hook or knitting needles in her spare time. She believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning and practices a student-centred pedagogy, differentiating her lessons according to her students’ interests and learning styles. Mia is ultimately an advocate of life-long learning and believes that one’s education never truly stops.

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Silvia is a native Italian speaker. She grew up in a small town close to Milan, then she moved to Madrid and in 2012 she came to Sydney. She received a Bachelor Degree in Marketing and Public Relations, a LOTE certificate from the University of New South Wales and a Teaching Certificate from the University of Sydney. Silvia has been teaching Italian to children, HSC students and adults at all levels for a number of institutions and schools including Co.As.It, Australian Catholic University and several local Sydney Community Colleges.

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A linguaphile and literary enthusiast, Penelope Vakalopouls is proficient in the literacies of Modern Greek, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Indonesian. She has a B-ARTS from the University of Melbourne with a Major in Arabic and Minor in Indonesian and is a current Honours candidate in Arabic at the same institution. Penelope has an expanding base of experience teaching all three languages and is particularly interested in the pedagogy of elementary Greek and Arabic, always reflecting on how best to introduce English-speakers to the elaborate and somewhat conservative grammatical systems of both languages while also engendering an appreciation of their historical and contemporary relevance. Penelope has plans for future combined research that might find a novel interchange between Arabic and Greek.

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After working as an osteopath in the UK for 16 years John realised a life-long dream and went to China to study Tai Chi for three-and-a-half years, receiving his teaching certificate in Tai Chi & Qigong there. He is also qualified as a Gym Instructor & Personal Trainer, which along with his osteopathic training and experience means he is comfortable teaching people of all ages and abilities. Since moving to Sydney he has taught in a variety of situations, from nursing homes to outdoor classes in Redfern Park.

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Wesley Watkins. Tutor of WEA Sydney

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WEA Sydney Ramblers. Tutor of WEA Sydney

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Having spent 20 years in project and senior management in the IT industry working for companies such as IBM and Microsoft, Jenni-Lee moved into independent schools in 2003 as a science teacher initially and then in senior executive positions. Joining the AISNSW Leadership Centre at the start of 2016, she became the Dean in 2021. A strong believer in lifelong learning, Jenni-Lee has also taught in each of her roles, delivering Business Analysis and Project Management courses in Asia Pacific for IBM and Leadership development courses in her last role.

Jenni-Lee is passionate about neuroscience and has completed several qualifications through the Neuroscience Academy and the NeuroLeadership Institute in New York. Subsequently, she developed several neuroscience frameworks around leading in uncertain times and how the brain learns, and published her book The Other AI; Finding your Superpower with Neuroscience in 2023_._

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Elaine Witton BEd (Adult), Guild member ASC, has taught calligraphy and allied crafts face-to-face and online in Australia and Europe for over 30 years. She has taught at WEA since 1990. Elaine has a passion for calligraphy in all its forms, traditional and modern and uses these skills as a professional exhibiting artist.  She is an adept teacher who shares her enthusiasm for calligraphy with her students. She uses various teaching methods including the introduction of practical projects. Elaine encourages all skill levels, enjoyment of the art being her main aim.

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Terence Wong is a senior, professionally qualified consultant with significant management experience and a diverse background that includes expertise in wine and technology. His academic qualifications include a Master of Viticulture and Wine Technology from Melbourne University, as well as an MBA, and Masters degrees in Electronic Commerce and Information Technology.

In the wine industry, Terence has demonstrated wine consulting knowledge from vineyard selection and winemaking to marketing, coupled with business acumen in wine trade, export and import, food and wine pairing. He is an accredited wine educator who has worked with the Bordeaux Wine School (Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux) for ten years, and has been a wine writer for press media. His professional experience also spans various roles in the technology sector, including Business Solution Manager at Computer Sciences Corporation and Solution Architect at Electronic Data Systems Corp., where he managed complex projects and teams across the Asia Pacific region.

Complementing his professional and academic pursuits, Terence Wong has trained by WuDang Masters from the original WuDang Mountain in China in Tai Chi and martial arts and has been practicing Tai-Chi for more than 9 years.