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NOTICE: Continuing Ed is open and waiting to hear from you. Our office at 540 Arapeen is open from 9am-4pm Monday through Friday to assist you in person. If you need immediate assistance, please call us at 801.581.6461.
Youth Education Instructors
Current Instructors
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Erika Cespedes
Erika is an award winning photographer and arts educator. Ever since she can remember art has been a part of her life, she participated in art festivals, competitions and afterschool art programs. She attended Art Universities in Fort Lauderdale, Chicago for her under-grad and obtained her MFA at the Academy of Art University in California. She has practiced commercial and fine art photography allowing her to publish several food photography books and exhibit work in Fine Art galleries throughout the United States. She is versatile in film and digital, including 35mm, medium and large format cameras. She also alternates her lessons with alternative photographic processes; which include cyanotypes, transfers, Brown-Vandykes, experimental photography, chlorophyll printing and much more. Other art areas include: mix media, collage, clay, installation and holistic-healing art. Her teaching approach is organic, allowing students to find themselves through the creation of art and encouraging self-discovery.
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SAMUEL DUNN
Sam Dunn holds BAs in History and Scandinavian Studies from UCLA and an M.F.A. in Theater-Film from the University of Utah. He was a law student. He is a filmmaker and he works for the Sundance Film Festival. He has taught courses for the University of Utah's Department of Film and Media Arts since 1992 and he has taught courses for the University of Utah's Honors College since 2010. He speaks Swedish fluently and he reads all of the Germanic languages, including Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon. Sam enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and movies. -
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GWYNNETH KOVACS
Gwynneth became a teacher in order to share her love of reading and writing. She graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in English from Weber State University, and currently teaches eighth and ninth grade in Davis School District. Gwynneth is a teacher, mother, and bibliophile who fills her spare time with words and stories. She also enjoys watching movies, spending time with her family, and painting. -
CHARLY KUECKS
Charly Kuecks has taught for the Test Prep program at the University of Utah since her first semester of grad school in August 2017 and has loved every minute! When not working, she pursues her interests in yoga, creative writing, snowboarding, and music. Having been a National Merit Scholar and gone to the Eccles School on a full merit scholarship, what she likes best about test prep as a field is demystifying a test that can be a huge barrier to students' upward mobility otherwise. With an approachable demeanor and an eye for minor details, I motivate my students to believe anything is possible in their pursuit of higher education. -
STEPHEN LOBO
Stephen Lobo has been teaching standardized test preparation for roughly two decades and have taught or tutored in various capacities for close to thirty years. He teaches the ACT, GRE and GMAT preparation classes for the University of Utah's Test Preparation program. His background is in biomedical engineering and has worked in medical research, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.
"I've really enjoyed teaching for the Test Prep program. It gives me a chance to share some of my strategies and tips for academic success. There,s nothing more satisfying than being able to help students learn a new concept or master a technique. Over the years, I've been able to refine my curriculum to concentrate on those strategies that have proven to increase test scores."
Furthermore, Stephen claims that "Ultimately, students drive their own success. My approach is to coach them on useful test techniques. The only way to internalize these techniques is to rigorously practice them. My role is as an advisor and a coach; I can help guide and influence students to follow approaches which I have found successful, but they must ultimately discover their own best path to success. It is extremely rewarding to see students who are able to achieve their goals. I look forward to helping you reach your potential!" -
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JEANETTE PACK
Jeanette Pack is enthusiastic about teaching math to students of all ages. She completed her undergraduate degree in math education and then received a Master’s degree in statistics and econometrics from the University of Utah. Over the last 20 years, Jeanette has taught math at the Jr. High and High School levels, tutored veterans at SLCC, and worked with students at Mathnasium. Her teaching career with Continuing Education began in 2003, teaching Math 1030 as an independent study course. More recently, over the last 8 years, Jeanette has taught several courses in the Test Prep department- including the Math Refresher class, ACT Review, and Praxis Test for Educators course at the University of Utah. Jeanette has also designed and developed exciting summer math camps for kids and taught them as part of Youth Ed at the U. In her spare time, Jeanette enjoys being outside growing a garden, exploring the mountains, and travelling the world. She is an avid reader and can’t imagine life without a book in progress. Most of all, Jeanette loves to hang out with her family. -
TENA PATE
My name is Tena Pate and I am a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at a junior high in northern Utah. My educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Family and Consumer Science Education from Utah State University & a Masters of Arts in English Language Learning from Western Governors University. Some of my hobbies include paddle boarding, going to the beach, hiking, camping, sports (especially softball and basketball), cooking, baking and music. I love to travel at take a trip at least once a month. I love to explore and see new places and meet new people. I love to stay busy, be surrounded by good people and be very active. I am very passionate and enthusiastic about teaching. I strive every day to create a positive, fun and safe learning environment for my students. I look forward to a great summer! -
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DAVID SIMON
An artist and designer that loves using visual art to tell stories and create worlds. Dave attended summer art courses in our program 6 years ago. Since he has been studying and practicing his illustration, art, and design skills every day. He loves to share his art knowledge and experiences any change he gets. Dave has practiced many mediums of art from drawing & painting, to urban art & ceramics. Outside of art and design, he loves to snowboard in the winter, and hiking in the summers. Dave is very eager to begin improving his students drawing and art skills to the next level this summer! -
KIMBERLY SPENCER
Kim Spencer currently teaches AP United States History and AP Psychology at the Academy for Math, Engineering & Science. She also oversees Senior Seminar and Student Council. She has her bachelor's degree in the Social Sciences. Kim enjoys hiking and spending her summer vacations in Lake Powell. -
SHAUNDA TRIMMER
Ms. Trimmer is an AP/IB Calculus teacher at Skyline High School. She has a Bachelor's degree in Math and Chemistry as well as a Master's degree in Education Administration. Ms. Trimmer has 18 years of teaching experience and loves teaching students who want to learn. -
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ADIA WALDBURGER
Adia Waldburger has built her life around sports. With a great aunt in the University of Utah Crimson Club athletic Hall of Fame and a family that started bringing her to Utes game since she was a month old, immersing herself in the sports world seemed like the only logical career path. She is a former local sports journalist, covering everything from prep sports to Olympic-level competitions. She has also worked for the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Committee and Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation. Waldburger is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Sports Management and conducts research in the area of sport communication and marketing. -
KAREN WALDBURGER
Karen earned her B. A., M.Ed. and licensure in secondary education from the U of U. She has taught tenth and eleventh grade English at Hunter High School in Granite School District since fall of 2004. She has served as an advisor to the junior class, Anime Club, Book Club, Hockey Club, Martial Arts Club, Writing Club, and Urban Dance Club. Karen brings a wealth of experience to Youth Education as she continues to work with youth in a variety of settings, including in camps, community service, counseling, education, recreation, religious setting, and sports for more than three decades.