Meet the North Fort Wayne team

Welcome to Sylvan Learning Center! My name is Kent Kolbow, and I am the owner and one of the directors. I received my college education in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During my educational experience, I completed a Bachelor's degree in Math with a strong background in Physics, Chemistry, and Psychology. I also earned an endorsement in Education. Throughout college, I taught at Sylvan Learning centers in Fort Wayne, and within a few years, became the director. In 1997, I decided to purchase the Sylvan centers in Elkhart and Mishawaka. I have since had the opportunity to purchase nine additional centers in Indiana, four in Florida, and five in Maryland. My goal through working with Sylvan is “Success with every student.”

As Chief Operating Officer & Owner, Sarah oversees eleven centers in Indiana (Mishawaka, Elkhart, Merrillville, Schererville, Valparaiso, Fishers, Carmel, Plainfield, Greenwood, Fort Wayne North, & Fort Wayne South), four Florida centers (Clermont, Ocoee, Dr. Phillips & Kissimmee), and five centers in Maryland (Bel Air, Crofton, Catonsville, Timonium, & Columbia). She thoroughly enjoys working with all of the students and their families. Sarah studied at Cedarville University. When Sarah isn't at Sylvan, you'll find her spending time with her husband and her two beautiful daughters.

Sylvan has been such a blessing! I started at Sylvan Learning in 1995 and have been an instructor and director for many years. I enjoy that I am able to teach students, meet with parents, and connect with classroom teachers. School can be challenging and, in my position as Director of Education, I am able to work alongside students to see their success. It is such a rewarding career. Always knowing I wanted to teach children, I earned my Bachelor's of Elementary Education at Indiana University. Some of my favorite hobbies include "planning" events, reading, vacationing and spending family time with my husband and two sons.

Blair relocated to Fort Wayne in 2024 after living in Connecticut for two years. She's originally from Indianapolis, where she earned her Bachelors of Arts in Theatre at Marian University. She has always had a passion for education and is grateful to pair that with her operational background to serve the students and families here at Sylvan. Blair's favorite thing about Sylvan is seeing the journey that students (and parents!) go on during their time with us. Watching them grow and become more confident is so rewarding! When Blair isn't at Sylvan, they're probably in rehearsals for a community theatre show around town or spending time with their husband, Seth, and dog, Pumpkin!

My interest in mathematics began at Washington High School in South Bend. It led me to pursue a degree in Math and French education at Ball State. After graduation, I was blessed to receive an offer to teach at Concordia Lutheran High School. For the past 28 years, I taught Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Honors Algebra II. During that time, I also coached Girls Basketball and Girls Track. I also pursued a Master’s Degree in Mathematics at IPFW. In my spare time, I enjoy cross-stitch, reading, and searching garage sales and flea markets for Mickey Mouse collectibles.

I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School. I continued my studies at Concordia University Chicago where I earned my Bachelor’s of Arts in Mathematics with a minor in Education. Since then, I have worked as a substitute teacher, as well as a math teacher. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, watching movies, and finding projects to do. The projects could be fixing a leaky pipe or building a desk.

With over 20 years of teaching experience, I started my journey at Village Woods Middle School. I then worked at Crossroad Children’s Home/Homeschool for nine years teaching General Education courses and Mathematics to middle school and high school students. For three years, I was the Director of Academic Advising for Brown Mackie College. I am currently at Blackhawk Middle School teaching Algebra. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and graduated from Whitmer Senior High School. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball, reading, and doing arts and crafts. I also like to cook and have worked for over 15 years in restaurants.

I was born and raised in Huntington, IN, about 20 miles south of Fort Wayne. I graduated from Huntington North high school and went to then, Huntington College, now University. I have 8 brothers and 2 sisters and 3 children. Family get-togethers are never boring! I graduated from Western Governors University with a degree in Early Childhood Education; and in spring 2023, I finished my master’s in special education, mild intervention. I started my fifth year at Churubusco Elementary in 2023 and love my job! I am happy to be working at Sylvan and highly recommend it to my parents when asking about tutoring.

Haley is a teacher at Fort Wayne North with a gift for working with elementary-aged kids. While she has many tutoring talents, Haley finds the greatest joy in reading tutoring. Haley studied at Ball State University with a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. When she isn't at Sylvan, she likes to read, do Zumba and watch Netflix with her husband.

Amy is a Math and Reading instructor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne- North with a gift for working with students. While Amy has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in seeing the light bulb when her students “Get it”. She taught at Sylvan 25 years ago and was excited to come back to work one on one with students. When Amy isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her eating out and traveling with her husband!

Gabrielle is a tutor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne North. While Gabrielle has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in Math and Phonics, especially with the elementary grades. She studied elementary education at Purdue University of Fort Wayne. When Gabriele isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her listening to music, playing games or watching the Colts!

Zac is a tutor at Sylvan of Fort Wayne, Indiana. As an English adjunct for several local universities, Zac chose a career in the tutoring business because he recognized a deep need for students to encounter a judgement-free and helpful space to work through challenging concepts outside of the classroom. Zac studied at Moody Bible Institute where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and received his Master of Arts in English literature from Purdue Fort Wayne. When he is not at Sylvan, you’ll find Zac writing poetry and reading various books.

Kace is a tutor and site coordinator at the Sylvan North of Fort Wayne Center. While Kace has many tutoring talents, he finds the greatest joy in upper-level Math tutoring. He studied Physics and Math at Purdue of Fort Wayne and has his bachelor’s in science. When Kace isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find he enjoys spending time with his daughter. He also enjoys fulfilling his desire to help and service his community.