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The People Behind the Progress

Meet the SW Calgary team

Certified teachers, local school know-how, and a director who reviews every student’s plan personally. These are the people your child will high-five on the way in.

Karyn Hodges, BA, BEd
Center director

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 since 2014. She has worked with Sylvan Learning for 18 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.

Say hi to

Our Teachers

Eve Hebert
Eve HebertDirector 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
Kirsten HewittLead 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.

Katherine PinderaTutor

Katherine joined our Sylvan team in 2024. She works with students from all ages, helping with reading and writing. With experience helping university students' with their essays and a degree in global communications, she enjoys discussing essay structure and social studies concepts with the high school students and also working with the younger students to strengthen their reading and writing skills. Katherine's passion for teaching can be seen in her beginning her journey to get her Bachelor of Education this fall!

Matthew Salvatore
Matthew SalvatoreTutor

Matthew became a part of the Sylvan SW team in mid-2024. He recently completed his Bachelor's of General Science and will be pursuing his Bachelor's of Education in fall 2026. 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
BhoomiTutor

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.

Paige Lansky
Paige LanskyTeacher

Paige joined our Sylvan Sw team in late 2025. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies and is currently pursuing 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 help students here at Sylvan with their reading and writing skills.

Lauren McManus
Lauren McManusTeacher

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.

Salma Yassin
Salma YassinTutor

Salma joined the Sylvan SW team in 2026 and quickly became a key part of our math and science team. She brings with her a B.Sc. in Mathematics and ten years of tutoring. Her favourite part of teaching is helping the students feel confident about their learning. When she is not at Sylvan, she can be found at the gym, reading, skating, or in a new local coffee shop.

Gabe KomoTutor
Sivani JaikrishnaTutor
Opal HazelwoodTeacher

Come meet us in person

Stop by for a free Insight™ Assessment

You’ll meet the team, tour the center, and leave with a clear picture of your child’s strengths and gaps — whether or not you enroll.

or give us a call(403) 372-0192
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