The Country Coordinators, LE’s in-country leaders, make our summer programs possible. As respected leaders within their communities, they are responsible for all program organization on the ground in each of our 12 countries. Country Coordinators donate their time and energy to Learning Enterprises in order to facilitate the outstanding cultural exchange our programs offer. Many of our Country Coordinators have become lasting friends, and we are so thankful to know and work with them.
Evan (Junchen Pan), China
As a volunteer last summer in LE China, Evan had a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Changjiang village. Being a teacher he felt like he had many responsibilities, but they always brought him much happiness. He loved his time being a teaching partner with the American volunteers, during which he forged very deep friendships. He had the best memories with his host family and most importantly, the kids, and cannot wait to go back to see them again this summer.
Evan is now in his third year as an undergraduate majoring in English in the School of Foreign Language at Nanjing University. He loves photography, biking, and volleyball. Through Evan’s never-ending hardworking efforts, he hopes every volunteer in LE will have happy memories and create many friendships to last a lifetime.
Helena Hecimovic, Croatia
The Learning Enterprises program in Croatia is in large part due to the efforts of Helena, who helped establish it in 2003. She is now responsible for coordinating all of Learning Enterprises’ operations in the country. Helena has long been involved in teaching English in Croatia: she is the founder of HELLO English Language Club, and she runs the Sunny Village English Summer Camp in Jagnjedovec, near Koprivnica (which receives several LE volunteers each summer). Helena also serves on the Koprivnica city council, is president of the Croatian Fraternal Union of America for her area of Croatia, and acts as president of the Drava League, an association of eight environmental NGOs dedicated to conservation and sustainable development programs in and around the Drava River. Helena’s husband, Davor, is the local surgeon as well as a master craftsman who constructed and furnished all of the buildings in the Sunny Village Camp. They are parents to two children, Danko and Lana, who are also active in the family’s many pursuits.
Dijana Ferkovic, Croatia
Dijana is a 34-year working mum of three kids, that enjoys living in rural (underdeveloped) area that provides plenty of opportunities for improvement. This is a true challenge! She works in the local government administration on different developmental projects. One of her favorite projects is definitely Learning Enterprises in Brodski Drenovac (Croatia). She was very excited in hosting 4 volunteers in her home, for 4 years in a row, that have worked with more that 70 kids in her home village. “I was so proud when I saw small children, six or seven year old, carrying notebooks and pens, going to English class that first summer morning when Robyn came to Drenovac.”
At the same time, Dijana is studying to get a PhD in Entrepreneurship. Her greatest love (besides her family) are foreign languages, that she enjoys learning. Hoping that LE will create in her own children love for foreign languages and culture, and that they will learn to respect other cultures and values in life. “My mission is to give my best (and all my enthusiasm) in bringing some positive changes into my closest environment.”
Kinga Popa, Romania
Kinga Popa was born in Oradea, Romania. She studied at the Partium Christian University in order to become a social worker. She graduated in 2007. Recently she moved to Budapest, Hungary, and she is working in a dubbing studio.
In 2004, Kinga started to work as a volunteer for International Children’s Safety Service in Oradea, and that’s where she first heard about Learning Enterprises. Next year she became the Country Coordinator in Romania. She knew when she took the position that the job would be a real challenge, but she didn’t realize it would be such an amazing and pleasant experience.
László Szintén, Hungary
Hungary’s Country Coordinator after Ilona Virágné Újj and Enikő Kohner is 31 year old László Szintén from Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. László (nickname Laci) graduated from the University of Miskolc, Faculty of Business and Economics and works for the Multipurpose Association of Local Governments of Zalaegerszeg City as a office-leader, responsible for the education and the social-care in the villages. In his free time, Laci likes bicycle in the country, and meeting with his friends. Joining Learning Enterprises in 2012, but he has learnt in LE program the English language for 4 year. So the program provides Laci a ”possibility to get to know interesting people and practice English”.
Jean Athanaz Desalles, Mauritius
2012 will be Athanaz‘s fifth year working with LE and his first year in an official position. In the past, Athanaz has helped coordinate host families and schools, and has dealt with anything and everything in-country. He is looking forward to getting more involved in LE and cannot wait to show this year‘s volunteers his country! Athanaz will be finishing his last year of secondary school in Curepipe. He lives in Case Noyale and enjoys rugby, fishing, and jokes.
Lorena Valencia, Panama
Lorena is currently serving as an attaché on the U.N. Security Council for Panama, as a specialist in Western Africa politics. She recently completed a master’s degree on International Education Development and Policy Studies at Columbia University and finished her undergraduate work at Georgetown University. Lorena founded the Panama program when she was a sophomore at Georgetown University in 2004. As country coordinator, she helps set up everything in Panama, from the homes the volunteers stay in to the activities during orientation. Lorena hopes to go back to her country and continue helping in many other ways!
Anna Klis, Poland
Anna volunteered as a teacher for the LE Poland program in 2008, loving the program so much she has stuck with it since then. She served as the Poland Program Director in 2009 and has been Poland’s overall Country Coordinator from 2009 until present.
Anna graduated from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2010, but has continued her education as a graduate student of economics at the University of Texas in Austin. Aside from studying economics, she enjoys watching movies, attending the opera, and traveling.
Balázs Tarnok, Slovakia
Balázs has been involved with Learning Enterprises since 2003, when his family hosted an LE volunteer for the first time. His family enjoyed that summer very much and decided to host volunteers two more
times. During that, Balázs helped organize the program in his village, Izsa, and helped with that until 2009. In 2007, he was invited to
Budapest for the orientation for the first time and became a regular member of orientation days in the following years, where he acted as a tour guide and shared his experiences with the volunteers. Balázs loves working with LE, because it helped him gain precious relationships and he is glad to help the younger generations learn English, as he learned it from the LE volunteers. Balázs now is 21 years old and studies law in Budapest at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. In his free time he enjoys horseback riding and loves reading and having fun with his friends.
Supa Laosri, Thailand
Supa Laosri lives in Tampa, Florida and has resided in the United States now for over 20 years, but with strong ties, she frequently travels to Thailand on a regular basis. She received a Bachelors Degree in Communications at Ramkamhaeng University. Since when Supa was attending her university, she always dreamed of teaching English to Thai kids, and she has done just that. Supa has been teaching English and the idea of altruism in Thailand years before the arrival of Learning Enterprises. She was taken by surprise when Daniel Scott Smith, the founder of the Thailand Program, asked her if she would like to be the Country Coordinator the LE for its first time in the Land of Smiles. She elated accepted his offer and she will now be serving for her third year as the Thailand Country Coordinator.
Serdar Tunc, Turkey
Serdar Tunc is an English teacher in Adiyaman, Turkey. He grew up in Adiyaman, and graduated from Istanbul University with a degree in English Language Teaching. Serdar has been involved with English programs in Adiyaman for a number of years, and this will be his third year as the Turkey Country Coordinator (his family has also hosted a volunteer for the last two summers!) He is a terrific football defender and is working on his new-found frisbee skills. Serdar is excited to be working with the LE volunteers at the program sites during the summer, and he is committed to helping children in Turkey learn English.