Faculty and Staff Directory

Faculty & Staff Department Directory

Department

Last Name

Helen Du

Co-Director of International Students, Admissions Liaison

617-278-2329

Marquette University - M.A.
Beijing University of Foreign Studies - B.A.
School of International Training - TESOL Certificate

Bio

Having come to the U.S. as an international student in her twenties, Helen uses her international background to support Brimmer’s international students in adjusting to new environments and a new culture and helping them succeed both academically and socially.

Helen has spent a significant portion of her career in education, having been faculty in China, a college counselor at Boston University and Northeastern University, and an independent consultant. She has wanted to be an educator and counselor since she was a young child and is glad she has found her passion, which is helping students grow and reach their potential. Her philosophy promotes global learning, engaging with the community, and helping students become world citizens with compassion, vision, and commitment. Helen likes to explore new ways to connect international students and bring new perspectives to enrich our community such as through bringing different cultures to campus.

Helen believes that Brimmer is an open-minded, inclusive community with opportunities for flexibility and professional growth. She particularly enjoys working with international students and families, and is planning to write a novel on international students, their families, and their challenges and achievements.

Helen holds a Harvard summer college counseling certificate and has completed postgraduate coursework in social policy. She is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In her spare time, she volunteers at a local Chinese school and senior center and is a board member for Chinese Culture Connection in Malden, Mass., a nonprofit that builds connections between the Asian community and the rest of Malden.
Nicole Rudolph

World Languages Department Chair, Middle/Upper School French Teacher

Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - M.A., Ph.D. Candidate
Grove City College - B.A.
Middlebury College - M.A.

Bio

Nicole hopes to inspire her students to enjoy language learning and see its usefulness in global contexts and international relations. In addition to teaching French, serving on Brimmer’s Global Studies Board, and being Brimmer’s World Language Department Chair, she also teaches an Upper School elective course called Cultural Intelligence, which explores cultural intelligence and competency in the global context. In addition, Nicole teaches Global Art History and Resistance Movements and Imprisonment in the 20th Century.

Nicole’s career in education has taken her all over the world: she taught English in South Korea on a Fulbright Scholarship, and she taught with the French-American Commission in Alsace and Paris, France, while earning her second master’s degree in modern European history and advising for the Paris Model UN. She also worked as a bilingual administrative assistant for Middlebury College’s French School and taught high school French in the Boston area. Since joining the Brimmer community in 2011 as a Lower School French Teacher, she has explored more international and public policy work, including advocacy work at the UN and freelance research while doing research for her Ph.D. in the History of International Relations.

At Brimmer, Nicole appreciates the diversity of the study body, and the opportunity to continue to develop administrative skills, to lead the World Language Department, to offer new courses outside her discipline, and to work on the wellness committee.
Frances Fremont-Smith '75

Co-Director of International Students and Mandarin Teacher

Connecticut College - B.A.
Harvard University - Ed.M.

Bio

As a Brimmer alumna, Frances credits her love of learning languages to her time as a Brimmer student. Now, as a teacher, her greatest joy is working with students and developing their strength of knowledge and confidence that they, too, can be successful learners of Mandarin.

Fluent in Chinese, Frances has helped to build programs that raise cross-cultural awareness and communication for second-language learners of Chinese. Frances has spent over 35 years working in the education field as well as conservation and community development across China. Frances was in the first group of Americans teaching English in Northeastern China, beginning in 1979. After graduate school at Harvard, she was hired to start the Chinese Language Program at Milton Academy in Boston. While at Milton Academy, she set up the first homestay, an intensive language exchange program for American high school students. While in Hong Kong from 1990 to 2004, Frances taught Chinese Language and ran the China Homestay Program for secondary school students to live and study in China. From 2010 to 2011, Frances was executive director of School Year Abroad China, the premier high school study abroad program for American students.

Frances has championed environmental and social issues through her decade-long work in the nonprofit sector in China including the United Foundation for China’s Health, the Dandelion School, and Blue Sky Healing Home. Frances served as secretary on the Jane Goodall Institute China Board, board member of The Jump! Foundation, and as development committee chair of the board of trustees at Western Academy of Beijing.
Mirna Goldberger

M.S.& U.S. Spanish Teacher, Coordinator of International Student Exchange Program

Princeton University - B.A.
University of Pennsylvania - M.S.
University of Bridgeport - M.S.
Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca - Masters in Spanish Literature and Cultures

Bio

As a native Argentinian, Mirna is passionate about her Latin American roots. She attended Northlands School for girls, a British school in her native Buenos Aires, which influenced her beliefs in the importance of a global and bilingual education.

Since she began at Brimmer in 2014, Mirna has enjoyed the collegial and supportive environment, as well as the opportunities Brimmer provides for her to grow and innovate to be the best teacher she can be. Before arriving at Brimmer, she taught middle and upper school Spanish at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Conn., and coached the field hockey and tennis teams.

Mirna holds a Connecticut State Educator Certification in K-12 Spanish and is a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP), and USA Field Hockey Association (USFHA).
Yuhong Jia

Mandarin Teacher

Cahngzhou Teachers College - Teaching English at Secondary Level
Beijing Foreign Studies University - B.A.
Boston University - M.Ed.

Bio

As a young girl in China, Yuhong wanted to travel around the world. Her teaching philosophy stems from her belief that students are lifelong learners. Educating students from a global perspective is essential and can help students better understand and appreciate different cultures, thus better preparing them for future success and as global citizens.

Yuhong worked for eight years in China as an English teacher, first in a middle school and then a college. Prior to joining Brimmer in 2011, Yuhong worked as a foreign student adviser in a study abroad organization. Each year she traveled to Japan and China to coordinate recruitment tours for college admission representatives. She also taught Mandarin Chinese in public schools.

Yuhong is a certified Chinese teacher for grades 5-12 in Massachusetts. From 2011 to 2014, she served on the school board of Baldwin Early Learning Pilot Academy. In her spare time Yuhong enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and swimming.
Katherine Poulson

Middle & Upper School Spanish Teacher

College of the Holy Cross - B.A.
Middlebury College - M.A.

Bio

As a Spanish teacher, Katherine works to create a classroom community that emphasizes international mindedness, social justice, and celebrates diverse learners. By placing an emphasis on using Spanish in real world situations, she hopes to help her students see its value in their everyday lives and future plans, while fostering an appreciation for the Spanish-speaking world.

A Massachusetts native, Katherine’s passion for Spanish language studies began during her junior year of college in León, Spain, where she studied at the Universidad de León, worked as an English tutor, and had the opportunity to travel throughout Spain. Prior to joining the Brimmer community, Katherine spent ten years teaching Spanish at Eagle Hill School, a boarding school in central Massachusetts. There, Katherine served as an academic advisor, performed residential duties, and helped develop the Language Acquisition curriculum as part of the IB World School certification process. During her summers, she traveled extensively, including trips to Colombia, Ecuador, and Cuba, and completed Master of Arts coursework in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When she isn’t in the classroom or planning her next adventure, Katherine enjoys reading, running, and learning to cook.
Diana Scharrer

Middle & Upper School French Teacher, 12th Grade Project Director

617-278-2387

Dickinson College - B.A.
University of North Carolina - M.A.

Bio

Diana’s teaching philosophy is guided by the belief that learning a new language and increasing one’s general cultural competency are essential parts of being a global citizen. In addition to teaching Middle and Upper School French, she directs the 12th Grade Project, a program where Brimmer 12th graders spend their final month of school doing internships or independent studies.

Although Diana has previously been a part-time teacher in schools in her home state of New York, she has been teaching here at Brimmer for more than 20 years. Over the course of her tenure, she has accompanied students on various trips to Europe and Canada. Diana particularly appreciates the fact that the faculty, staff, and student body at Brimmer are not just English-speaking Americans; the population at School is international, multicultural, and multilingual. She loves that the Brimmer community is deeply invested in their students and their development into well-rounded, well-educated, engaged, and compassionate thinkers and global citizens.

Outside of work, Diana enjoys art, music, food, and travel.
Matt Vaughan

Middle & Upper School ELS Teacher

University of Massachusetts Boston - B.A.

Bio

Matt believes in a culturally responsive and student-centered classroom. As an English Language Support Teacher, Matt works to engage students in areas of interest or familiarity to help develop English language skills in a comfortable context and seeks to foster a sense of inclusion and tolerance in his classroom.

A Massachusetts native, Matt was born and raised in nearby Dartmouth. Having spent time overseas touring Europe in a rock and roll band, Matt values and appreciates the international community at Brimmer. In his role, Matt supports international students, working both one-on-one and across multiple grade levels. Since joining the team in 2010, he has enjoyed working with like-minded people who support one another.

Matt holds a certificate from Primary Source in Engaging Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students and Families in Secondary Schools (EEC 111). Matt is an enthusiastic traveler. When he’s not planning his next trip, Matt is either making music or cooking–two of his favorite pastimes.

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