Meet the Federal Way team

Mia Braithwaite was an elementary and middle school teacher for 20 years before she joined Sylvan as a Director in 2023. She taught grades 3-8, all subjects, in two different states, but her favorite age group and subject was middle school math. When Mia isn't at Sylvan, you'll find her outside, running, hiking, camping, and backpacking. Her favorite part of working at Sylvan? Being able to work with teachers AND students, helping both to grow in their learning.

Andreas is a Washington native hailing from Tacoma. History is a passion of his and he has begun work to get his history degree from Portland State University. He is an accomplished piano and clarinet player, having played them since the 5th grade. His favorite book is The Art of Getting Stuff Done by David Allen because it gives a lot of solid life advice to follow when life becomes challenging. When asked what he likes best about working at Sylvan he says, “It keeps me on my feet and presents an opportunity to offer help to my community members.”

Sheila is a Bronx, NY native who lived in several other states before settling in Washington. She most recently got to travel to Germany and loved it. He favorite hobbies are reading mystery, horror, and historical fiction novels, as well as biographies. Sheila says, "I love working for Sylvan! I've been an SLP and a teacher since 1970 and when I retired, I was sorry not to be with children. Sylvan fit me perfectly!"

Chris is a native of SeaTac, WA, and graduated from the University of Washington. Chris loves camping, traveling, drawing, and reading. His favorite place to travel is Yellowstone because of the beautiful forest with lots of wildlife. What he likes best about Sylvan is watching the problem solving process of each learner.

Glen is a Seattle, WA native who has traveled to Paris and loves visiting museums. His favorite hobbies are baseball, golf, and traveling, and he loves reading mystery novels and the newspaper. The thing Glen likes best about working at Sylvan is personalizing the educational journey for his students, and seeing his students achieve, succeed, and become more confident learners and people.

Brittany is a Philadelphia native who received her bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and her teaching certificate from the University of Washington. Her teaching enjoyments encompass assisting students reach their full academic potential and tackling new challenges. She enjoys yoga, watching, and/or listening to baseball games. Brittany also enjoys reading, exploring The Great Northwest, traveling across the country, and spending time with friends. She is a big sports fan, supporting the Eagles and the Nationals…that’s ok we don’t hold it again her!

Tami is our home-grown teacher and she has been teaching at the Federal Way Sylvan since 2016. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Science Education. Swimming and reading just about everything is her hobby. Right now, she is captivated by science fiction and fantasy books. With its beautiful country scenery and great people, one of her favorite places to visit in Costa Rica. Her love and joy for teaching come from helping students build their skills and their confidence.

Eric Scott was born in Oceanside CA. He has a Bachelor of Science with honors in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Masters of Science in mathematics from the University of Washington. His main hobbies are reading, playing tabletop games (Wingspan, Dumplings, and Star Wars: Rebellion), playing video games (Iron fury, Little Kitty Big City, and RPG's), watching movies, kayaking, and eating at new places. He also enjoys watching football and hockey, and previously played soccer as well as earned a black belt in Kung Fu. Eric enjoys the friendly and positive environment created by the students and staff at Sylvan. People laugh and have fun while they work hard learning new things and developing important skills.

Nico Navales lived in San Diego CA in elementary school before his family moved to Kent, WA. He has a Bachelor's degree in English from UCLA and has spent time teaching in Japan. He loved living in Japan because of its aesthetics, culture, and food. For fun Nico enjoys reading (fantasy, sci-fi, and classic British literature), writing, camping, and listening to scary story podcasts. The best part about Sylvan is working with the students, making them laugh, and seeing them build confidence in their skills.

Megan Mitchell, known as Meg to us, has a Bachelors degree in English and Creative Writing with a minor in Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University. She's a bit of a world traveler and Munich Germany is her favorite place she's visited! The food was delectable, and the views, scenery, city walks were some of the most memorable that she has experienced. Her favorite hobbies are crocheting, thrifting, cooking, writing, aimless exploring outside, and reading, especially sci-fi and fantasy. She loves working with her writing students at Sylvan. “It's always such a joy seeing them get so excited and passionate about whatever they're writing about, or seeing their personal projects grow and expand on the student’s accord. Getting kids excited and confident in themselves and their abilities is always so gratifying.”

Kathleen is a reading and writing teacher who enjoys working with students of all ages. Her degree is in English Language Arts and Secondary Education from WSU. Nagano, Japan is one of her favorite places she has visited. She was amazed to walk around the hot springs in the snow and see the monkeys taking a bath. Her favorite thing to read is EVERYTHING! The best part about working at Sylvan is the welcoming and fun environment.