about us
Virginia Talley, Ph.D.
My name is Virginia Talley and I am the founder of the Language House. My first trip to Spain in 1997 completely changed my life. I was 19 years old and I had the good fortune of walking the medieval pilgrimage, El Camino de Santiago, across northern Spain with Sewanee’s summer study abroad program. From that point on, I was completely hooked on Spanish language and culture, and I could not wait to go back to Spain. I returned my junior year to live with a family in the Basque Country and to study in Sevilla. I went on to complete my Master’s and Ph.D. in Spanish language, literature, and culture at the University of Virginia. My curiosity for learning more about other cultures led me to study and live in Southern France, Chile, and Argentina.
Following my passion for teaching, I spent four years as a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Richmond, in Virginia, and seven years teaching middle school and high school at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. I taught at Austin Community College with high school and adult learners for two years before opening the Language House in February, 2019. My love of teaching, travel, and Spanish and Latin American culture has been a natural fit for leading numerous trips to Spain and Argentina over the past eleven years. Nowadays I am super excited to devote all of my time to teaching my students about Spanish language and culture!
In my spare time I love traveling, hiking, cooking, coffee, and spending time with my partner and our three dogs, Zeke & Millie (pugs), and Emiliano, the hound-beagle mix. We are happy to call Austin, Texas, home and we love traveling the globe in search of new places and friends.
Gabi Kothenbeutel
Hola a todos! I'm Gabi! I am thrilled that you might be joining this Spanish journey with me! I am originally from a small town in Springfield, Missouri. I found a love of languages on my first trip outside the country to Monterrey, Mexico! I studied a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish and Linguistics at Missouri State University, where I really fell in love with the Spanish language! I moved to Southern Spain after graduating to work as a language assistant, which I did for 2 years. Then, three years ago, I moved to beautiful Austin, Texas where I have been working as a high school Spanish teacher. I love teaching and watching others learn! I hope to make this a great experience!
Mackenzie Bailey, Ph.D.
¡Hola! My name is Mackenzie, and I grew up in Walnut Creek, CA. I first lived in Spain when I was just 5-years old, and when we moved back to California when I was 6, we had a bilingual/bicultural home. I started taking formal classes again in 6th grade, and was set on improving my communication skills. This led me to study abroad as much as I could: first in Costa Rica for a year in high school, then Brazil for a gap year (Portuguese, I know!), then Chile for a semester in college, and finally Spain for a year as a culture/language assistant between my 3rd and 4th years of college. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Spanish & Linguistics, and promptly moved to Austin to get my PhD in Spanish Linguistics at UT. I discovered I really enjoyed teaching Spanish as a graduate student, and am thrilled to continue to do so at The Language House. Outside of languages, I love to play ultimate frisbee, read fantasy novels, dance, and spend time with my friends. I can't wait to meet you all and participate in language learning together!
Yvette Griego
¡Saludos! I’m Yvette, and I'm delighted to be part of the Language House community. Originally from New Orleans, I grew up with a love for celebration, good music, and great food—things that I try to carry with me wherever I go. I’m half Cuban and half Honduran, which has definitely shaped my passion for Latin language and culture. I hold a master’s degree in Spanish and have had the pleasure of working as a Spanish instructor at LSU and Austin Community College, as well as teaching in public schools. Currently, I’m a bilingual school counselor, where I continue to work with diverse communities. Recently, I’ve been diving into learning Korean as a hobby, which has given me a fresh perspective on the joys and challenges of learning a foreign language as an adult. I find that this new experience helps me connect more deeply with my students and enriches my approach to teaching. I can’t wait to meet you and share this passion for language and culture with you. See you soon!
Robert Lewis, Ph.D.
¡Hola a todos! I’m Robert, and I retired several years ago after many years of teaching at the high school and college level, most recently here in Austin at ACC and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. As much as I have enjoyed retirement, I have also missed teaching, and so I’m delighted to be able to share in your experience here at The Language House.
I have a Ph.D. in Spanish Language and Literature from UT. I have lived and studied in Peru, Spain and Colombia and have led trips with students to Mexico, Honduras, Spain and El Salvador. The most rewarding part of teaching for me has always been getting to know my students and helping them understand and appreciate the beauty and diversity of this world language.
I’m looking forward to meeting you and to exploring with you the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world!
Bryan Winkler
¡Hola a todxs! My name is Bryan, and I'm originally from Ft. Worth, Texas. I grew up always wanting to learn another language, so I ended up taking Spanish classes in high school and quickly fell in love with the language—I couldn't get enough! I decided to major in Spanish and studied abroad in Madrid and Sevilla before completing my M.A. in Spanish literature and moving to Northwest Spain to teach English. I'm currently working on my PhD in Iberian and Latin American Cultures and Literatures at UT, focusing primarily on contemporary Spanish media. In my free time, I like to cook, listen to podcasts, and travel as much as I can. I truly enjoy teaching and sharing my love for Spanish cultures and can't wait to see you in class soon!
Ryan Woodall
Hola! My name is Ryan and I am originally from Bloomington, IL. I began learning Spanish when I was in middle school and instantly fell in love with the language and all of the cultures that make up the Hispanic world. I am currently a PhD student at UT Austin in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese where I study Spain’s popular culture, including film, music and television. I have taught Spanish for about four years now, and also have experience teaching English to native Spanish speakers. I love traveling (I go to Spain as often as I can!), cooking, being outdoors, and coffee. I truly enjoy teaching Spanish and look forward to sharing this language learning journey with you!
Lee Gebheart
¡Hola, hola! My name is Lee! When I was twelve years old, I had the privilege of living in Honduras for a year, where I met many friends and learned Spanish. I also spent two months in the beautiful city of Málaga when I was 16, which solidified my love for the Spanish language and the cultures it shares.
Most recently, I spent last summer in Mexico with my partner and would love to go back.
I have a Master’s degree in Hispanic Literature and Pedagogy from the University of Arkansas and 7 years of language teaching experience. My style is input focused (listening, reading, activities/games) with the philosophy that output (writing, speaking) will come naturally when the learner is ready. Language, however, is simply a tool—people and connections are the key!
Miriam Bleiweiss
Hola, I’m Miriam! I was born in New York, and lived there until the age of 13. That’s when my father decided we’d move to where he was born and raised – Buenos Aires, Argentina. My younger brother and I weren’t brought up bilingual in Spanish, so it was a case of literally getting off the airplane at Ezeiza International Airport, and being unable to ask how to get to the bathroom. Nada. Oh the joy we kids felt when Mom said “No American School for you.” That joy lasted for a whole 30 seconds. We were summarily informed that we were going to go into the public school system in Buenos Aires. Our logical argument that we couldn’t because we didn’t know Spanish didn’t work. All she said to us was that didn’t matter, “You’ll learn.” We sure did! It was a process that taught me you have to make the mistake to learn (not just with Spanish, by the way.) I know that I made exactly 1,000,000,000 mistakes in real time, and got myself into some embarrassing situations due to some very incorrect and sometimes highly inappropriate word choices (in my defense, the words sounded sooooo similar!) Fast forward to now. I can confidently say I manage Spanish at the native-speaker level. By day, I’m a medical translator for a state agency here in Austin, Texas. In the evenings, I have fun teaching Spanish. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a mistake you can make that I didn’t make myself. A little more about me: I hold a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Iowa. Mom says my first word when starting to talk was “horsey.” I love horses! Personal fun time is spent doing HIIT classes, taking baking/cooking classes, and dabbling in art classes (love the pottery wheel.) I really look forward to meeting you, and helping you along on your wonderful and exciting dive into Spanish language and culture.
Laura Alvarez
Hola! My name is Laura and I’m from Mexico City. I’m 30 years old. I studied administration and business. My interests are skating, yoga, traveling, and meeting new people. I am the social events coordinator for the Language House and I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm and passion for the Spanish language and culture with you! I also teach private and semi-private conversation classes to give students more practice and confidence with their spoken Spanish.