La Piazza di Carolina

20 years experience teaching Italian as a New York State certified teacher of K-12. Also teaches University and continuing education. Owner of La Piazza di Carolina Italian preschool and cultural center www.lapiazzadicarolina.com

dynamic, total immersion approach,with the goal of teaching students how to communicate in the target language.

Yet to be added

BA Communications and Italian University of Denver MA Italian Middlebury College, VT

Carolina Gengo has been teaching Italian for 20 years. She grew up in an Italian-American/Canadian family, and fell in love with the Italian culture and language at a very young age. She noticed early on, however, that Italian was not spoken in her home. Her parents came from the immigrant generation that felt they needed to assimilate quickly to American customs by speaking English, which meant that their native language had to be left behind. Carolina remembers often asking family members to speak Italian so that she could learn, but few agreed. She vowed to one day learn Italian and share it with others. She finally studied Italian at the University of Denver, and later received an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College in Florence. In between she worked in Entertainment Public Relations, and in the Italian Fashion sector. In addition, countless trips to Italy allowed her to immerse herself in Italian language and culture, and customs. Upon her return from Italy in she was eager to share her passion for all things Italian with others. What followed was ten years of teaching Italian in the New York metropolitan area in elementary, high school and college level institutions. Adjunct positions include New York University, Pace University, and Fordham University. Carolina is a New York State certified Italian Instructor K-12. She is the recipient of the AATI Teachers Grant to the Università of Siena, and the National Endowment for the Humanities Teachers Grant to the University of Oregon. She has presented at several conferences on the teaching of Italian, and is an active member of numerous professional clubs and organizations. Today Carolina considers the opening of La Piazza di Carolina her greatest professional accomplishment. “After the birth of my two daughters, who are being raised bilingually, it seemed natural to me to help other Italian-American families and lovers of Italian do the same – to keep the Italian language alive in their homes through their children.” La Piazza di Carolina, with its bright, inviting classroom, has recently relocated to the Greenville Community Church in Scarsdale, NY. She teaches Italian to children of all ages and adults, in a full-immersion environment. Carolina lives with her two daughters, Giuliana 15, and Gabriella 11, in Eastchester, NY.