Hayward, CA ELS - Hayward

Robert Nagel
My name is Robert Nagel and I am the Center Director and Academic Director of ELS Hayward. I graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. degree in English and a minor in East Asian Studies: Japan. After I graduated, I spent seven years teaching in Japan at various companies like Toshiba Corporation and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Subaru). I also worked in the Silicon Valley for a year as a Content Editor for an entertainment website. I have been with ELS since Hayward opened in 2005 and look forward to meeting and welcoming all of the students that choose to come to our school and hope to get them on the right track towards entering college and fulfilling their future dreams and aspirations!

Pamela Lee
Hello, my name is Pam. After graduating from UC Davis with a B.A. in English and Communication, with a minor in Contemporary Leadership, I began working for ELS Hayward as an instructor. After teaching here for about a year, I became the International Student Advisor, Registrar, and occasional substitute instructor. What I am most proud of about working at ELS Hayward is the outstanding staff, diligent students, and the comfortable, nurturing environment we have created for learning English.

Eva Lau
Hello! My name is Eva Lau and I have been working at ELS Hayward for the last two years. I obtained a B.A. in Education with an option in English/German from the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, in Peru, my home country. In June of this year I received an M.A. in English with a concentration in TESOL. I worked in Peru as an ESL Instructor for eight years. Then, I moved to the United States in 2003. I enjoy my job very much and I strongly believe that teaching and learning are ongoing processes that never stop.

Monica Steward
I am from historic New Orleans, Louisiana, where I gained several years of experience teaching ESL. Three years ago, I relocated to the Bay Area for its spectacular beauty and immense cultural diversity. Within the past year, I have been working as the Homestay Coordinator for ELS Berkeley, Hayward, San Francisco and San Rafael and have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to ensure meaningful, pleasant homestay experiences for our students.

Frieda Penner
I come to ELS from Canada where I obtained a TESOL diploma and a B.A. in the history of Western Mentalities at the University of Victoria. I have traveled extensively as well as taught ESL at colleges in Canada and Japan, and I created and taught an ESL program for adult immigrants in the northern community of Yellowknife, NWT. I have recently completed an MA in TESOL from CSU East Bay. I’m in my fourth year teaching at ELS Hayward.

Martina Chaix
I was born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Oakland, CA. I received my B.S. in Food Science, Nutrition, and Dietetics from the UC Berkeley and TESOL certificate from Transworld School. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji, I taught at the Tamavua School of Nursing and as a research assistant in the chemistry department at the University of the South Pacific. My travels around the world sparked my desire to teach English to foreign students in the United States, and this aspiration led me here to ELS Hayward.