Hello Spanish Club


...where culture and language become just one word!



Patricia Alejandra Socias



Director - Co-Founder - Teacher






I was born in Venezuela and came to the United States in 1999. Once I was in the US, I got a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at University of Florida and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Even though my background and most of my work experience have been in engineering, I have always enjoyed working with kids. Once my two kids were born, Javier (15) and Isabel (13), my eagerness to work with kids became even stronger. I have done Spanish tutoring for kids, and I have always been involved with my children at preschool and school activities. I have CPR certification and since August 2014, I work as a lead Spanish teacher for the homeschooling program at YMCA Brace (children 10-15 years old). Although my two children were born in the United States, my husband and I have always spoken to them in Spanish, and we have taught them about our culture and traditions. Today, I am completely sure this was the best thing we could do for our children. Not only because it gave them the opportunity to keep a strong bond with their family living in Venezuela, but also because nowadays it is more important than ever to be able to speak another language. I cannot think of one disadvantage of giving your child the opportunity to learn Spanish, and I can guarantee that after you see how easy it can be for a child to learn another language, you will wish you would have had that opportunity yourself when you were a child.



Lucia Rodriquez Magdaleno



Teacher





My name is Lucia Rodriguez. I was born in Spain and I have been living in South Carolina since 2012. I am the mom of an 8 year old boy named Gonzalo. He is bilingual and with my help he is also learning to read in Spanish. I am so proud of him! I earned a B.S. in HR Law at University of Oviedo, Spain. My passion of working with kids started a long time ago when I was still living in Spain and I had the opportunity to work with kids as a private tutor in math, language, and literature for several years. Since I came to the United States I have been an active mom doing volunteer work in my son’s preschool and elementary school. In 2014 I founded Lucia's Tea Pastries, an at home bakery to teach children about cooking. I have always loved to share with children my creativity and experience in baking and arts and crafts while incorporating the Spanish language. It makes me so happy to see how much fun the kids can have learning Spanish while doing fun activities they love. In January 2015 I co-founded The Whale, an interactive children stories and games book for all children and also for children with special needs. Since October 2015 I have had the opportunity of working with Hello Spanish Club, teaching children about the Spanish language and culture at different preschools in the Fort Mill and South Charlotte area.


Eliana Tavarez



Marketing Representative - Teacher






I was born in Dominican Republic and have been living in the United States since 2008. I am a proud mother of a 7 year old child. His name is Joshua. Joshua is bilingual and enjoys translating from English to Spanish. We call him "the little teacher". I also teach Joshua and 3 of his nearest cousins to read and write in Spanish. I earned a Master's degree in Hotel Management at UNPHU in Dominican Republic. After finishing my Master, I moved to the United States in 2008. Shortly after we moved, my husband and I decided to start a family, and I became a stay home mom. Around the same time, since I have always liked to work with children, I offered babysitting services to my nearest friends in the neighborhood. I started to take care of three of my friends' children. When my son started preschool at 2 years of age, I started my Montessori teacher training. While I was training, I also worked as teacher's assistant in a Montessori school. After I graduated in 2017, I started a Montessori Spanish immersion program for toddlers in Greenville, SC., where I worked until 2019 when I moved to Charlotte, NC. My passions include traveling and spending time with my family, doing games and activities like camping, and going to the Lakes & Rivers. Since my husband and I arrived at Charlotte, we have been involved with our child’s activities. I volunteer at Joshua’s school while my husband volunteers at the sports camp to coach the kids little league baseball team. In September 2019 I started my training at Hello Spanish Club. I absolutely love being part of the team! I particularly love the way we make learning so fun for the children through all the games and interactive activities.



Tania Castillero Hoeller



Co-Founder






I was born in Panama and came to North Carolina in 1988. During my studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I earned a BA in Communication Studies and interned at Monkeyshines, a publication specializing in children’s books where I contributed to two publications directed to kids. Reading and sharing children's stories in my first language has always fascinated me because of the beauty of seeing kids use their imagination and putting into practice comprehension skills in another language. It has provided me with a tool to help children learn about cultures and diversity. I worked at UNCG as Assistant Director of Admissions and Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs for several years before leaving to attend Wake Forest University to earn a M.Ed. in Counselor Education. At this university, I worked as an adjunct faculty and for almost ten years worked for Catholic Social Services in several capacities: Bilingual Counselor, Therapist, and Director of the Latino Family Center. In my personal life, I have seen how my children, Johann (10) and Isabella (7) have been able to learn to communicate with me not only in English and Spanish, but also in German with their father. I know my children will have better chances to succeed in their life because they have had the opportunity to be exposed to different languages and cultures.



Gabriella Sansone



Substitute Teacher






I was born in Mexico and have been living in Charlotte since 1990. I am a mom of 4 wonderful kids (2 girls and 2 boys). My oldest daughter Belle (26) is working/living in NYC. She is a fashion stylist and also works for Real Simple Magazine amongst other things. My oldest son Addis (24 ) is in the US Marine Corp Officers Training Program in Quantico, VA, and my 2 younger children, Victoria (16) and Marcos (13) are working hard in school to make sure they get into good colleges as we stress education at home. I earned a degree in Mexico City in Bilingualism Secretarial Skills and Commerce and was licensed with a Series 7 & 63 while working on the Foreign Currency Trade desk at Wells Fargo for Latin American Banks. I then became a stay home mom after my fourth child was born and became a translator for medical offices, such as pediatric offices, and for social services in the county. I have always loved working with kids and have raised my own four to speak Spanish fluently. My passions include going to the beach, working out, playing tennis, cooking, and watching movies with my kids and husband. I have been involved in all of my children’s schools as a room mom and volunteer, and I was president of my neighborhood's Women’s Club. Hello Spanish Club is a fantastic opportunity for the children of this community to learn more about our language and culture, and for us native speakers to use our skills to help with the education of future generations.



www.hellospanishclub.com