WHO WE ARE?
A team that keeps Hindi learners at the core of all they do
Sanjyot Tatke, Master Teacher and Lead Instructor
Sanjyot Tatke, an experienced Hindi teacher, has been associated with STARTALK students programs since 2011. After receiving STARTALK Teachers Training at Kean University she served as an instructor at YHS STARTALK since 2011 and SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK programs. Sanjyot is a team player who coordinates professional development workshops for all teachers and collaborate for developing classroom material including activities and worksheets for students in the target language. In the past years Sanjyot attended a number of STARTALK conferences and workshops where she learned new teaching strategies to share with her team. In 2019 she led a team of instructors at the STARTALK regional workshop at College Park, MD. Sanjyot is also serving as the Treasurer, Yuva Hindi Sansthan.
Akila Sekhar, Cultural Instructor
Akila Sekhar serves as YHS Secretary. She has been associated with Yuva Hindi Sansthan and Hindi Sangam Foundation programs as a Cultural Coach and Associate Teacher for the past five years. Akila is a great organizer of events and a team player who helps organize Annual Hindi Diwas and reunion events in addition to STARTALK programs successfully.
Seema Vashisht
Seema Vashisht is an experienced teacher of Hindi. In 2019 she joined YHS STARTALK Hindi Program in North Wales, PA and SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK HINDI PROGRAM, Franklin Township, NJ. " As a teacher I helped young learners engage in varieties of performance activities in the three modes of communication. As I helped improve their proficiency in Hindi I learned to modify my teaching strategies”, she says. She effectively applies the STARTALK principles and ACTFL guidelines in her classroom teaching.
Hema Ojha, Administrator
Hema Ojha, an experienced inventory manager, administers all logistics for our summer programs. Hema serves as the Treasurer, Hindi Sangam Foundation. She supervises purchases, logistics, and meal service.
Avani Shah, Technology Instructor
Avani Shah, a NYU trained STARTALK teacher, joined SANGAM-FRANKLIN Summer Program as the Technology Instructor in 2019. Her forte is integrating technology in the learning process to provide a rich environment and varied experience for learners. She manages computer sessions for students and administers computer based tests, such as, AAPPL testings.
Soma Vyas, Instructor
Soma Vyas, an enthusiastic instructor, facilitates a number of activities for learners including daily Yoga and classroom assessments. She joined SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK Hindi Program in 2019, where she helped heritage and non-heritage students perform daily activities and tasks in order to meet program and lesson goals.
Suparna Pathak, Instructor
Suparna Pathak, a Atlanta based Hindi teacher, joined our programs in 2016. She is a committed teacher who gets along well with young learners. She enjoys teaching younger kids and effectively facilitates performance based activities in the three modes of communication. About her teaching style she says, "In order to engage young learners in the three modes of communication I use rhymes, songs combined with body language. They learn new terms and produce new language when I ask for choral responses and play fun games using lots of visuals. I use TPR to explain the words and short sentences viewed on screen."
Sandhya Bhagat, Master Teacher
Sandhya Bhagat is a Master Teacher of Hindi who has so far taught at 16 STARTALK students' programs held in Atlanta, Delaware, Lansdale, PA and Franklin Township, NJ. She has been associated with Yuva Hindi Sansthan since 2014 and with SANGAM-FRANKLIN STARTALK programs since 2016. Her forte is theatrical activities for Hindi learners. She uses interactive methods, such as, role play, modeling, remodeling, and enactments in her teaching. She directs her own theater group called, “Dhoop Chhaon" (Sun Shade) in Atlanta, GA and writes poetry and stage plays.
Anju Rai, Instructor