About Me
Hi, I'm Kelsey.
I’ve spent my entire career in internationally minded positions, spanning several distinct cultures and languages. I grew up in a rural part of the US, and as an adult, I have worked in Japan, Bangladesh, Tanzania, the UK, and Taiwan.
Along the way, I’ve learned to speak Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Bengali (Bangla), Swahili, as well as bits and pieces of other languages. I’m also not just a native English speaker — I have professional TEFL certification. So I not only understand the challenges and aspirations of language learners, but how to teach languages as well.
I'm a linguist, educator, and humanitarian.
I have an MA in Education, International Development, and Social Justice from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, in London, UK.
I also hold two BAs in International Relations (Human Rights and Social Justice) and East Asian Languages and Cultures (Japanese Language and Culture) from Indiana University, Bloomington, in the US.
If you would like to discuss consultancy work in any of these fields, please also get in touch!
My Languages
I speak, read, write, and listen to languages at the following levels:
- English (native)
- Japanese (advanced, JLPT N1)
- Spanish (upper intermediate)
- Mandarin Chinese (intermediate)
- Swahili (lower intermediate)
- Bengali (upper beginner)
What My Clients Say
Kelsey is a great writer to work with, and it is a pleasure to have her write for Kokoro Media. Not only does Kelsey has great quality writing, but she is also very professional regarding deadlines and strict style guidelines. I am impressed by how fast Kelsey understood our website’s identity and the needs of our readers. I appreciate her proactive suggestions on topics related to the Japanese language and society that have never been treated before. I also greatly respect Kelsey’s open-mindedness and the fact that she spent some of her professional and personal time working on making the world a better place. I can’t wait to see where her career takes her!
I recently started scheduling my 2 children to study Japanese with Kelsey. After a series of failed tutor experiences I was about to give up on Preply for Japanese when I stumbled upon Kelsey’s profile. This was literally going to be my last attempt at finding a suitable tutor and boy, did we hit a jackpot! Even after only several lessons I am so so pleased with Kelsey’s tutelage of my children. They’re the ones who wanted to study Japanese and I could tell their interest was starting to lag. But they’ve been rejuvenated! They look forward to her classes. They say she’s fun, nice and they feel like they’re learning again. (These are direct quotes from an 8 & 10 year old.). She offers flexibility within a structure, consistent materials, and knowledge. You will not regret working with her!
I’ve been living in Japan for 3 years now, and am glad to have found Kelsey. Through her lessons she has taught me healthier studying habits to help me develop the vocabulary and kanji knowledge I need to know in order to understand Japanese better. Before her, I was stuck at only conversational. Now I find that I am more motivated to improve my reading and writing skills too.
Have been learning from Kelsey for quite some time now, and it really helps consolidate what you learn throughout the week into something that progresses your understanding of the language. On top of this, she’s super engaging and really understands a lot of the pitfalls that new learners of Japanese fall into. Her adaptability helps to accommodate whatever schedule and style you may have. Always look forward to her lessons, couldn’t recommend more!
Kelsey is a great teacher, has a very detailed notion of what are the best tricks to learn the language faster and easier. Amazing approach and very patient. I relate a lot with her in our interest for the Japanese culture and language, of course she’s way ahead of me! Thank you Kelsey for all the hard work
Stay In Touch
Interested in working with me? Send me a message with your contact details and interest!