Meet Our Team

Austin Forsyth

Executive Director

Austin is honored to lead Sylvan Learning of Huntington Beach. He has a BA in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College, an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a teaching degree from Cal State Long Beach. Sylvan Learning is a perfect blend of his entrepreneurial character and his long interest in education. He believes that Education is Everything: come see why on the conference room wall!

Jesenia Cianca

Director

Jesenia has a passion to motivate children for success. She loves Sylvan for the opportunity to help students gain skills and confidence in the classroom and in life. While that means plenty of organization and planning, it also involves keeping our Center fun: just try beating her in Spot It! When she’s not in the center she’s a cheer mom and trying hard to keep her multi-sport son uninjured.

Nazgol Makki

Teacher

Nazgol has been teaching at Cal State University, Los Angeles for over a decade. She earned her Master’s degree from CSULA in 2017 and has been a valuable asset to the faculty of both the Mathematics and Economics departments, as well as the College of Education. Beyond her dedication to helping students succeed, her interests include Global Economics, Health Economics, programming, hiking, and travel.

Carey Richter is thrilled to be working with such wonderful students. With over 25 years of teaching experience across all grade levels, she brings expertise in Reading and Writing, and is passionate about helping students develop their literacy skills. As a bilingual educator, Carey is dedicated to supporting diverse learners. Outside of the classroom, Carey enjoys gardening, beach trips, and spending time with her husband and daughter.