Tina Bruno was born in Starnberg, Germany. She grew up in the “Alpenvorland” and has been to many Oktoberfests, Christkindlmarks and other traditional Bavarian celebrations. After graduating from high school in Germany, she moved to the US as an Au-pair and attended community college in Cerritos, CA. She met her husband in a speech and debate class and graduated in 2009 with an AA degree in Math, Natural science, and Chemistry. Tina recently bought a house with her family in Linda, CA and everyone is enjoying having more room to grow. She earned her BS in Human and Family Development from ASU in 2018 and her Master’s in Social Work in 2023. She currently works at the Mental Health Urgent Care collecting her clinical hours towards licensure. Tina started teaching at the Turnverein in 2015 and is currently Co-Director of the German Language School. Tina enjoys spending time with her family& dogs, exploring the outdoors, reading, running, and watching German movies.

Sonja was born and raised in Graz, Austria, has Egyptian roots, lived in Spain for a few years, and moved to Sacramento in 2017. She is a native speaker of German and is also fluent in English and Spanish. After traveling through Europe, Sonja returned to Austria in 2006 to complete her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English and American Studies as well as her Magister/teaching degree in German, English, and Applied Ethics at the Karl-Franzens-University in Graz. Back in Austria she worked in the field of telecommunications for 10 years and started teaching German and English as a Second Language in 2010. Sonja works as German instructor at the University of the Pacific in Stockton as well as a lecturer of German at the Sacramento State University. In her spare time, she loves long runs along the American river and cooking for and with friends and family.

Iva was born in a small town in Bulgaria. She grew up in Bavaria, in a town named Bamberg. She graduated from the University of Bamberg where she studied German and History of ART with the goal of becoming a teacher. During her studies, she worked for different companies as a translator. Iva has more than 13 years of experience working as a German Teacher in many different German Schools in the State of Bavaria. She moved to the United States with her family in the Summer of 2023. In her spare time, she loves playing piano, reading, traveling and spending time with her family.

Chad grew up in Fresno, California. Chad had his first experience with the German language at age seven, when local high school kids began teaching German before school once a week. He continued his studies throughout middle and high school and college and trips to Germany. And of course he’s made a lot of German friends here in Sacramento, where he’s lived for the past thirteen years.

Chad works for the State of California as a transportation planner. He recieved his Bachelor of Science degree in Urban, Rural, and Environmental Planning from Brigham Young University in 2007 and his Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning degree from the University of Florida in 2009.

In his spare time, Chad enjoys reading, hiking, exercising, spending time outdoors, and spending time with friends and family. You may also find him at a local art museum, looking at pieces he’s seen several times before.

Alex Schärli, a native of Malters, a charming town near the Swiss Alps, began his journey with a vocational degree as an electrician. His academic pursuits led him to HSO Business School Switzerland, where he earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Marketing.

In 2014, he embarked on a rewarding sales career, a path that would later take him across continents. A significant milestone in his personal life was in 2017 when he married his lovely wife, Brooke. Together, they decided to embark on a new adventure and live in the Golden State, USA. He pursued an MBA in Global Business Management from APUS, graduating in 2020. Despite his professional commitments, Alex is deeply involved in community service.

He volunteers his time and skills as a foreign language instructor for senior citizens and likes to spend time in nature. His colleagues value his versatility, bestowing him the nickname “Swiss Army Knife.” Today, Alex is thriving as an Account Executive at Paylocity. On a lighter note, Alex shares his home with a black tuxedo cat named Fluffer Nut, adding a touch of whimsy to his family life.

John was born and raised in the Boston area. He moved in the early 1990s to Portland Oregon to pursue his education and a career in music. After graduating with degrees in both German and History from Portland State University, he spent much of the following decades as a working musician, recording artist, and guitar teacher. A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, John has released 7 albums of original songs and continues to write and record while working as a freelance session musician and mix engineer.

Alongside music, John’s other great passion is the German language. After graduating with a BA in German, John has diligently continued his study of the language in an effort to reach true native speaker level. He is particularly interested in modern slang usage, as well as colloquial and idiomatic speech. John’s interest in German extends well beyond the language and into the areas of German history, literature, art, poetry, music, and philosophy. His fascination with all things German was a matter of much curiosity to his French parents.

John moved to Sacramento in the summer of 2023 when his wife was hired as a post-doc researcher at UC Davis. In addition to his duties as a teacher’s assistant at the Turnverein, he works as a bookseller at Beer’s Books. John has a wide variety of interests including history, politics, cinema, literature, travel, hiking, and tennis. As a native Bostonian, he is a passionate fan of the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots. He lives in Land Park with his wife of 15 years, who loves to enlist him as a fieldwork assistant throughout Nevada and California on her various monarch butterfly research projects.

Chris grew up close to Koblenz in Rheinland-Pfalz. After school, she earned a vocational education degree as an office clerk (Bürokauffrau). Chris worked in this profession for several years in Germany before moving to England, where she lived for 3 years. She then moved to the US in the 90s. In the US Chris went back to school and got her bachelor’s degree in business in 2004 from the University of Maryland. Since then, she has worked in the financial and educational fields. Chris is a realtor, tax professional, and educator. She has been working at the German Language School already in 2010 and 2011 and returned to teaching at the GLS in May 2023.

She enjoys traveling, especially to the coast. She also likes reading, art, walking and spending time with her family, friends and dogs.

Brigitte grew up in the Rhineland, in Neuwied am Rhein. She studied Philosophy at the Gutenberg University Mainz and completed her education at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, where she obtained a master’s degree in  German Philology, Music, and Theater Science in 1985. She stayed in Frankfurt, continued to work on her thesis about German Humourism, and traveled in her free time through Europe and Venezuela. In 1989 she started working as Sales Representative for an Airline in Frankfurt am Main and moved in 2001 with her American husband and son to Anaheim, Southern California. She began tutoring German shortly after her relocation to the US. In 2016 she reconnected with the academic world to pursue her favorite profession, teaching languages and German. She took classes in French, English literature, creative writing, and obtained a TESOL Certificate at Cal State University San Bernardino in 2018. Since 2003 Brigitte works full time for an American based retailer in the Administration Department, being now responsible for Sales Audit and Expenses. She transferred through her employer to Sacramento in 2020. She started teaching the Heritage Classes at Sacramento Turn Verein German Language School in June 2023. In her free time, she travels frequently back to Germany to visit her son and family. She enjoys hiking and running along the American River and in the surrounding mountains. Brigitte loves playing the piano, and she attends concerts and music festivals whenever she gets a chance.

Evan was born in the small town of Uster in Switzerland to a Swiss-American family. After spending a few years in Switzerland, Evan moved to New York City and then Los Angeles. Evan then began college at San Diego State University in 2021, studying German and International Studies.

After his year of German study at San Diego State University, he spent a year abroad at the Universität Tübingen studying German and Political Science.

Coming back to the U.S., he transferred to California State University, Sacramento in 2023 where he now studies International Relations and German with plans to graduate in 2025. Throughout his varied experiences, Evan has found a love for languages and is excited to participate in giving kids and adults a place to learn and find community through the German language and its varied cultures, a place he didn’t have access to growing up. In his spare time, Evan loves to cook, find new foods, read, and explore Sacramento.