Group 16 Brandye Alexander is a TEFL volunteer at the Gymnasium named for V. Senator in Smila (pop. 90,000) A graduate of Humbolt State University in California, she worked as a journalist in newpapers and websites prior to joining Peace Corps in 1999. In Smila, she has organized a leadership workshop for girls in the 9th-11th forms. Jackie Ambrose graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a Masters in English as a Second Language and Applied Linguistics in 1993. She taught high school and middle school for four years in California before joining Peace Corps Ukraine. Jackie teaches American Literature, Writing, American Country Studies, and British Country Studies at the Mikolayiv Pedagogical University. She is very interested in poetry by Langston Hughes and enjoys collecting vocabulary/word games and other activities for intermediate to high level learners of English. Joseph Bednarek is a TEFL Volunteer in the western city of Chervonohrad, located near Lviv and the border with Poland. He teaches English and Country Studies in Secondary School #12, where he is referred to simply as "Joe." Joe is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he received a degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Culture & Politics. After spending his junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Joe decided he must return to Europe somehow, so he signed up to teach English in Ukraine. Joe's parents were a bit disappointed that he was not assigned to Poland (both sides of Joe's family being Polish), but were quoted as saying that Ukraine was "close enough," for they believed that any place where cabbage is also known as "kapusta" would be good for their son. Joe has not decided what he will do after Peace Corps, but he has considered pursuing a graduate degree in either Folklore or Anthropology. If asked about major influences on his life, Joe would list Chris Elliott, Langston Hughes, Thelonious Monk, all the Delta bluesmen, Jack Kerouac, and Tolstoy (probably in that order). Lori Boyer is a TEFL teacher at Secondary School #3 in Zhytomyr. She is working with 5-11th graders and with the local pedagogical University. She will be doing other projects such as an open city-wide English class, practical seminars for city teachers, and sexual health workshops for organizations in Zhytomyr city and oblast. She graduated from Franklin and Marshall College and has a degree in Psychology. Heather Brock is a TEFL volunteer in Donetsk, a mining center with a population of around 1.4 million people in eastern Ukraine. She teaches English and American Studies at Donetsk College, a specialized public secondary school. She holds a degree from Johns Hopkins University in German and History and has studied in Argentina, Germany and Russia. In her spare time, she enjoys climbing the slag heaps of Donetsk - at least the ones that aren't still burning. Mark Cochran is from Birmingham, Alabama. He has a master's degree in Genitive Psychology from the University of Texas. He is currently teaching English at a Pedagogical Institute in Horlivka. He is also working with an NGO promoting the rights and welfare of women. He likes tomatoes. Emily Creighton is from Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Boston College where she received a Bachelor's degree in Literature and a minor in International Studies. She had internships with the publications Atlanta Magazine and The Atlanta Journal Constitution. She taught English as a Foreign Language during her senior year of college. Emily is now a TOFL teacher at specialized school #71. She regularly facilitates an English club and teaches English at a law institute once a week. Amy Daniels is TEFL volunteer currently serving in Sevastopol. Amy graduated from the University of Michigan in 1999 with a Bachelor's in Asian Studies. She is originally from Connecticut. She works at a State Secondary School and Sevastopol's Youth Center for Social Services. Elaine Donnelly is a PC volunteer in Uzhgorod and teaches at secondary school #8. She graduated with from Boston College with degrees in Studio Art and English. After working for a few years as a graphic designer (mostly magazines and book covers) and as a painter in Boston, MA, Elaine joined Peace Corps Ukraine with TEFL group 16. Felicity Gatchell teaches Conversational English in a high school in Rohatyn in Western Ukraine. For many years she has worked with children in enrichment programs and encouraging them to be more globally aware. Over the past ten years she has been assisting in disasters with the Red Cross as an RN both in Alabama and across the U.S. Paul Gatchell graduated from Iowa State University. He teaches English Conversation via topics including environmental, drama, music and world awareness at the Gymnasium in Rohatyn, Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast. Rebecca Houghtaling attended Eastern Kentucky University where she graduated with honors in History and Literature. Currently she is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine and is teaching at Rivne Gymnasium #1 where she is working on curriculum development and the role of the individual in society. Rebecca enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, and photography. Susan Jaros is currently serving as a TEFL volunteer in Mikolayiv where she teaches at the Kyiv Slavonic University. Susan has a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Religion and a masters in Humanities from Penn State. Erik Levin hails from the town of Fallston, Maryland, a place with more cows than people. He majored in Japanese Language and Literature at the University of Maryland. After taking six years to graduate, he moved to Hawaii for a year and then taught in rural Japan for two years. Returning to the U.S., he got a Master's Degree in Theoretical Linguistics from Indiana University. When he discovered that he did not want to spend the rest of his professional life analyzing verb forms, he joined the Peace Corps. Erik teaches English at Solomon University in Kiev. Jeremy Lewis is from Shayenne, ND and graduated from Concordia College in Moorehead, MN. He teaches Conversational English, Country Studies and Literature at School #3 in Dneprorudne. Craig Potter lives and works in Ivano-Frankivsk with his wife, Kimberly. He teaches English and country studies at a lyceum specializing in science. As a secondary project, he enjoys the challenge of teaching ESL teaching methods at the local university. In his spare time he likes hiking in the Carpathian mountains, running, and reading. Kimberly Potter is from Spokane, Washington. She received an English degree in Literature and Writing from Oregon State University in 1993. After working in newspapers for 3 years, she moved with her husband Craig to the Micronesian Island of Saipan (Northern Marianas), where she taught 3rd grade for 3 years at an American Public School. The Potters are currently serving in the Western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, where Kimberly teaches basic English and Business concepts in English at the Ivano-Frankivsk Management Institute and Lyceum. She also teaches high school students part-time at Specialized School #11. She is busy with various projects such as feeding her husband, conducting a community English club, revising business textbooks for her institute, and developing a lesson plan manual for Ukrainian secondary schools. In her free time Kimberly likes to read, cook, walk (or run) about the city, spend time with her Ukrainian friends, hang out at the Bistritsya River, and go traveling and hiking with her husband. Maura Shelden is from the glamorous town of Roswell, New Mexico. She went to the University of New Mexico in Albequerque where she majored in English and American Studies. After working as the Obituaries editor at the Santa Fe New Mexican Newspaper in Santa Fe, she decided that Peace Corps was the place to be. She currently teaches American and British Literature at the Technological University of Podila in Khmelnitsky. She enjoys reading Bulgokov, playing with her cat Cleopatra and boiling her laundry. Alyson Sowers is from Rolla, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri- Columbia with a B.S. in Education (Secondary Social Studies). She teaches Conversational English at Gymnasium #2 in Sevastopol, Crimea. Laura Vanderberg received her degree in English from the University of Notre Dame. She was a NCAA Champion in women's soccer. She teaches Literature, American and British Country Studies and practical English in Alexandria at Secondary School #9. Elizabeth Watson graduated with a Bachelor's in Political Science and Religious Studies from Gonzaga University. She is a teacher at a school in her village in Western Ukraine. She enjoys playing basketball and running. Jason Wexler is a TEFL volunteer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Currently, he is working at the Zhytomyr Institute of Engineering and Technology in the city of Zhytomyr. In May 1999 Jason graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's degree in General Business. Courtney Wickham graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in August 1999 with a B.S. in English Education. She teaches American Literature and Analytical Reading to the 3rd and 5th years at the Pedagogical University in Ternopil. She works with English in the Connections Club and facilitates a Drama club.