Meet Our Team

Karyn Hodges, BA, BEd

Centre Director

Karyn holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from UBCO in Kelowna, BC. Karyn grew up on the rainy west coast of British Columbia and has lived in Calgary for over 10 years. She has worked with Sylvan Learning for 17 years, starting as a part-time teacher while working as a teacher in the Central Okanagan School Board, before becoming the Director of Education, and then moving to Calgary to become the Centre Director of the Calgary SW Sylvan. In her spare time, she likes to read and spend time with her friends and family, especially her cat, Monkey.

Eve Hebert

Director of Education

Eve quickly immersed herself in the Sylvan environment since joining us in 2020. She strives to create a positive and engaging learning environment for each student at Sylvan and loves seeing students reap the rewards of their hard work. Eve holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Calgary. In her spare time, she practices nature photography and enjoys spending time with her pets.

Kirsten Hewitt

Lead Teacher

Kirsten has been with Sylvan since 2020. She was an elementary teacher for seven years with the Calgary Board of Education. She has always known she wanted to be a teacher and enjoys working with the students at Sylvan. She loves teaching a variety of subjects, but her favourites are reading and social studies. She has a B.Ed and B.A. in History from the University of Lethbridge. When Kirsten isn’t at Sylvan, you can find her lounging on the couch with her lab Taber and a good book or out hiking around the mountains.

Rebecca Carrol

Senior Teacher

Rebecca is a fun and energetic teacher who has been with Sylvan for over 10 years. She has a diploma in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor of Professional Arts in Human Services degree from Athabasca University. Currently, Rebecca is a mental health and guidance counsellor with the Rocky View school district and has over 5 years working in various roles in the Alberta education system. Rebecca loves to work with children of all ages and she particularly loves working at Sylvan because she gets to see students grow, learn, and build knowledge on new concepts. When Rebecca is not working at Sylvan, you can find her in the Rocky Mountains hiking and exploring nature with her dog Hazel.

Anya Tyan

Tutor

Anna has been a valued member of the Sylvan SW team since early 2023 and enjoys working with all students to help them develop new perspectives towards learning. She brings with her a degree in Engineering and previous experience as a private and university-level tutor. As a lover of learning, Anna is completing an accounting degree to pair with her engineering one and enjoys crafts and digital arts in her spare time. She may even show you her latest crochet project!

Ruchika Sharma

Teacher

Ruchika is a dedicated educator with over 4 years of teaching experience. Holding a Master’s degree in Mathematics, she is passionate about nurturing young minds and fostering a love for learning. Ruchika is an Alberta certified teacher, known for her commitment to excellence in education and her ability to inspire students to excel in the field of mathematics. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, volunteering and exploring new teaching methodologies.

Christian Emond

Teacher

Christian joined the Sylvan SW team late in 2023. With a Bachelors in Molecular Biology, a love of poetry and a Bachelors in Elementary Education, Christian is a well-rounded teacher who enjoys making a positive difference in all of his students’ lives! He currently spends most of his time teaching in his first classroom, but can be found at Sylvan helping students with a variety of subject areas. His favourite part of teaching is getting to be a part of student’s growth and becoming a fuller person. Christian enjoys playing all kinds of games and checking out various multimedia in his off time.

Mirza joined Sylvan SW in early 2024. He brings with him a Bachelor of Business Administration and 3 years of experience teaching at an international school. He enjoys using his experience to help students gain a deeper understanding of mathematics and various science disciplines. When he is not at Sylvan, he enjoys volunteering for the community, or in the swimming pool, either swimming himself or helping instruct others how to swim.

Lauren McManus

Teacher

Lauren joined Sylvan SW in mid-2024 and brought with her a Bachelor’s of Education, years of experience in the classroom, and even a stint as a previous Sylvan tutor. Now that she has retired from classroom teaching, Lauren enjoys employing her experience on elementary reading and math students here at Sylvan. Though she does still enjoy spending her other time golfing, going for walks, and being with her friends and family.

Matthew Salvatore

Tutor

Matthew became a part of the Sylvan SW team in mid-2024. He is currently completing his Bachelor’s of General Science and is applying to education programs to purse his Bachelor’s of Education. While at university, Matthew has acted as a guest lecturer for university level astronomy and been a mentor to first year students. He is excited to be starting his teaching journey here at Sylvan! His favourite part of teaching is helping students overcome academic challenges and learn to love learning!

Bhoomi

Tutor

Bhoomi joined the Sylvan team in late 2024. She brings with her experience with younger children from a previous job as a Child and Youth Care Worker. She is currently also a university student, so when she is not at Sylvan, she is either busy in class or studying and working on assignments for class. Her favourite part of teaching is being a trustworthy person for students and seeing them achieve new things and be successful.

Chris Kreuger

Tutor

Chris joined the Sylvan SW team in late 2024. He is currently working on an after degree in Education and has some volunteer experience with students in kindergarten through grade 9. His favourite part of teaching is witnessing students reach the ‘aha’ moments in learning. When he is not at Sylvan he can be found watching movies with his partner and two cats. In a previous life, Chris worked as a 3D animator and has an undergrad degree in Psychology.

Jaunelle is a new addition to the Sylvan SW team. Having recently graduated with his Bachelor’s of Education, Jaunelle brings his experience and love of teaching, particularly English and social studies, to the students here at Sylvan. His favourite part of being a teacher is the spark of excitement when a student learns something new or grasps a concept. When he is not at Sylvan, you can probably find him playing one of his many board games!

Deephanshi

Tutor

Deepanshi is a recent addition to the Sylvan team. She brings a master’s in physics and a love of teaching math and sciences of all types to our Sylvan team. Her favourite part about teaching is learning about what a student is thinking while doing their work. She hopes to be a great teacher and give her best to her students at all times.

Paige is our most recent addition to the Sylvan team. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies and is currently pursing her Bachelor of Education at the University of Calgary. Paige’s favourite part of teaching is talking about books and graphic novels with students. She is bringing her experience with playwriting to helping students here at Sylvan with their reading and writing skills.

Toumbiack recebtly joined the Sylvan Southwest team. He has a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering and is in the progress of getting his master’s degree. He enjoys working with older students on their math and science work. He favourite part of teaching is being in a position to help students acheive their goals and feel more confident in themselves.