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Dr. Chu May Paing Executive Director Dr. Chu holds a PhD in Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology from the University of Colorado Boulder. As a first-generation immigrant who won the United States Diversity Visa Lottery (also known as the Green Card Lottery) from Myanmar (Burma) and a former ESL learner, Dr. Chu understands the important role that language and literacy play in immigrant success. Dr. Chu’s scholarly writings have appeared in various academic journals. Her scholarship has been widely read and assigned in many undergraduate and graduate-level courses on cultural anthropology and linguistics at the universities and colleges in the US and Myanmar. She has previously taught and given public lectures at Harvard University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Colorado Boulder, City University of New York, among many others. In addition to her research background, Dr. Chu also brings experience working in educational nonprofits. She is a founding member of Aruna Global South, a non-profit organization promoting emerging scholars from Asian Global South regions. She has also served as the Program Director for the Literacy Practicum in Boulder, CO, a language and culture consultant for EMBARC (Ethnic Minorities from Burma Resource Center) in Des Moines, IA and Refugee Language Project in Amarillo, TX. Prior to joining as the Executive Director, she also served on the WALC Board of Directors and volunteered as a tutor. When she is not busy reading, writing, cooking, thrifting, or playing with her three-year-old shih-poo Poquito, she enjoys donating her time and labor to organizations promoting community equity and diversity such as the Literacy Council. |
Dr. Oxana Martynova-Perzentka Dr. Martynova-Perzentka joined the Literacy Council in 2013. She directs the Road to Work program and acts as a job coach and conducts one-to-one & group sessions to help refugees and immigrants develop effective resumes, apply for jobs, develop interviewing skills, get their credentials evaluated, and connect with local employers. Previously, Oxana worked as an Associate Professor at the Department of Linguistics and Cross-Cultural Communication at Lipetsk State Pedagogical University in Lipetsk, Russia. She holds her PhD degree in Philology from Moscow Pedagogical State University. Oxana dedicated 15 years of her teaching career working with undergraduate and graduate students teaching them English as a Second Language. In her free time, Oxana practices Reiki, studies Numerology & Aromatherapy, and enjoys the outdoors and traveling the World. |
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Emma Thompson Emma has recently joined the Marketing and Development team at WALC. Raised in Oak Park Illinois, Emma went on to American University in Washington DC obtaining a BS in Business Administration specialized in Finance and Entrepreneurship as well as a MS in Sustainability Management. A passion for education equality and community enrichment paired with diverse experience with operations, events, marketing, and fundraising Emma is looking forward to driving engagement at WALC! In her free time, Emma enjoys reading, listening to music, thrifting, cooking, and spending time outdoors. |
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Trent Allaback Trent Allaback recently graduated from UW Oshkosh with a BA in English in the pursuit of a lifelong fascination with reading, writing, and language. While in college, Trent worked as an editor for several publications and authored scholarly articles related to literature and language as a means to give voice and invoke change in society. Trent is passionate about the importance of quality education and working to give people access to learning that will enable them to lead independent, meaningful lives as actives members of their community. In his free time, Trent enjoys reading, writing, playing music, and spending time outdoors with friends and family. |
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Emma Eiden Emma Eiden holds her degree and teaching certifications from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She began her time in schools in 2013, working in a variety of roles and titles in the Wausau and later the Milwaukee Public School system. In 2019, she was recruited by the Taiwanese Ministry of Education to instruct in a bilingual Mandarin and English program that reached rural and Indigeous villages. While overseas, she got her first experiences writing curriculum for language learners.
The global pandemic brought Emma to the Oshkosh area and the Oshkosh Area School District where she worked as an English to Speakers of Other Languages Specialist and Case Manager, helping develop, author, and implement Foundational Reading classes for the growing Immigrant and Refugee population. Emma looks forward to further supporting this community that she has fallen in love with over the last few years.
In her free time, you will find Emma with a book in hand (or at least in her bag), baking something, enjoying some jazz music, and digging around in her vegetable garden in the summer months.
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Karla Leon Karla is currently pursuing her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Oshkosh! She is passionate about building strong and supportive communities. Fluent in Spanish, she brings strong communication and organizational skills, along with a love for teamwork to the role.
She is dedicated to creating meaningful connections with volunteers, ensuring a welcoming, supportive environment for all. She is very excited to help the program make a lasting impact in the community.
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Winnebago Area Literacy Council also employs certified teachers to teach ELL classes.