High School Teachers
I was born and raised in Newton, Kansas, right in the center of the contiguous United States. I went to junior college in Dodge City, Kansas and then earned my bachelors and 2 masters degrees at Wichita State University. I have been in education all my life and have worn many hats . . . in many different places. I have worked with students from 4th grade through 12th grade and always learn so much from each of them. I look forward to working in Venezuela and getting to know the parents and students from CIPLC. I know the start of the year will be very different and maybe even a bit of a struggle, but I also know deep down in my heart that we can do this!
Email: kelley.nelson@ciplc.org
Gisela Burguera is an environmental engineer turned teacher 10 years ago. She previously taught math for 4 years at ISM-Maturin and for 3 years at CEIA-Anaco. She has lived and studied in Europe (Germany and The Netherlands) for over 9 years and is fluent in Spanish, English, Dutch, German, and Portuñol. Ms. Burguera loves the interactions with students and the small daily classroom challenges. She constantly strives for improvement and loves learning new things.
Email: gisela.burguera@ciplc.org
Terry was born in Minnesota and raised in Saudi Arabia, Colorado, and Italy. She attended Colorado State University and completed her student teaching in 1991 for secondary English Language Arts at Seoul Foreign School in Korea. She and her husband Wendell went on to teach in Japan, Guam, Qatar, Belgium, Venezuela, and Colombia. In 2010, Terry earned her master’s degree in Library Science while working at CIPLC as the school librarian and middle school English teacher, simultaneously raising four little “Geckos” who wore the red, white and blue shirts with the CIPLC logo. After ten years working in the state of Utah, Terry is happy to be back in Venezuela and loves being the school librarian at CIPLC for a second time.
Email: terry.thomas@ciplc.org
Wendell is a lifelong learner who has taught a variety of sciences for over 20 years at international schools in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America. Wendell and his wife Terry are excited to be back in the CIPLC community, where they and their 4 children spent 5 wonderful years, from 2005-2010. Just prior to this return engagement, Wendell spent 10 years as the Director of Teaching and Learning at Rowland Hall, an independent school in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wendell has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Texas A&M University, a Master of Science degree in Physiology from Colorado State University, and a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from Purdue University.
Email: wendell.thomas@ciplc.org
