Meet our ESL Teachers

Brandy Frank

holds a BA in Art Education from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and an MA in guidance counseling and student personnel from the University Bridgeport in Connecticut. She also earned a supervisor/principal certification from the State of New Jersey and has worked in several states as an art teacher and guidance counselor. In 2004, she cofounded the Voyage ESL program where she provides free adult English classes at the Princeton Public Library. Currently Brandy teaches ESL at the Princeton YWCA, tutors and is a Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey certified tutor trainer.

Donna Grushow

holds a BS in Finance from Trenton State College and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Additionally, she earned an M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the College of New Jersey. She has taught the English language at all levels in both Japan and the USA.

Shoshana Gutschow

has a BA in Philosophy from Hunter College, CUNY, and an M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language from The College of New Jersey.She taught K-adult ESL in Israel for 3 years and has taught at Berlitz and other private language schools. For 19 years she was a K-12 ESL teacher in the Lawrence Township, NJ public school district. Shoshana was a founding member of Family born in Princeton and a certified childbirth educator for over 20 years. In addition to teaching at the YWCA Princeton, she currently is a volunteer tutor working with other small groups in Princeton.

Kathleen Johannessen

earned a BS in Elementary Education/Biology from The College of New Jersey and a graduate level ESL Certification from Rider University. She is a language trainer for Cartus International. Kathy taught in both public and private schools for more than 16 years and has volunteered as an ESL instructor for Literacy Volunteers and the YWCA Princeton. Margaret Kiraly holds a BA in Elementary Education from Rowan University, formerly Glassboro State College. She taught Reading, Language Arts, and Writer’s Workshop for the East Brunswick Public Schools for many years. She has been teaching a Writer’s Workshop to ESL students at the YWCA Princeton ESL Program for the past three years.

Heledona Katro

holds a BA in Business Administration and a M.Ed. in Multicultural Education with a concentration in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) from Eastern University, PA. Heledona has over 20 years of experience in teaching ESL and directing IEP University programs in PA. She is the current Director of the YWCA Princeton’s ESL Program.

Larry Koplik

holds a BA in Politics from Princeton University and a JD from Boston University School of Law. He has taught a free ESL conversation class centered around Level 2 students at the Princeton YWCA since 1995. He has worked on Wall Street as a stock and options trader and broker.