Jill Tschekunow MS, CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist, Cairo American College
Jill is the Speech Language Pathologist for Cairo American College (CAC), KG-12th grades. She has been at CAC for over 2 years and has fallen in love with the country and school community. As a member of the CAC Student Support Services Team, Jill collaborates with various professionals that support student learning.
Jill has been practicing Speech Language Pathology for over 20 years. Over the years she has had the opportunity to work with people ages 2 to 88 years old, in schools, private practice, early intervention programs, and nursing homes. In addition to being clinical therapist, she was a college Instructor, at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. She was able to help facilitate and educate undergraduate and graduate students in the area of Communication Science and Disorders. Teaching at a University and also being an active therapist allowed her to follow the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Mission, “Making effective communication, a human right, accessible and achievable for all.”
Jill’s passion is lifelong learning and working collaboratively with team members that bring diverse specialities to the table. She is committed to identifying evidence-based and strength-based supports for all students. The dynamics of working collaboratively allows professionals to foster commitment to education for all students.
She sees the SENIA organization as a place to bring resources to teachers, parents, students, and community members, near and far, that encourage learning for all.
A particular student that is near and dear to Jill’s heart is her son, Isaak. He is what keeps her learning and loving unconditionally.
Heidi Law Student Support Services Coordinator at The International School of Kenya.
Heidi is currently the Student Support Services Coordinator at The International School of Kenya. This is her second year at the school, and she is enjoying being in Kenya and working with such a committed faculty that embraces inclusion.
Heidi holds a Bachelor degree in Special Education and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Oregon. She brings more than 28 years of experience in special education, teaching English Language Learners, and educational leadership from a range of schools in Georgia, California, Oregon, Korea, Honduras, Malaysia, and now Kenya. In her current role, she has worked with students who exhibit a variety of emotional and learning challenges. In this capacity she has been working closely with educators and parents to ensure that the children are fully integrated and supported within the school environment.
As a mother of three teenage daughters, she understands what is like to be a parent advocate and work with teenagers. She is excited about working with SENIA Africa and collaborating with other educators in the region.
Jerome Lingo, a Middle School Learning Support Teacher in American International School of Johannesburg.
Jay is currently working as a Middle School Learning Support Teacher in American International School of Johannesburg. This is his second post in Africa after teaching at International School of Tanganyika in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He is enjoying all the learning and collaboration that has been happening in both of AISJ’s campuses in Johannesburg and Pretoria towards inclusion.
Jay has been in the international teaching circuit for 12 years. He worked with the Middle School Learning Support department in International School Manila for seven years (2008-2015). It was a great jumpstart to his career to be working in an institution that is at the forefront of inclusion in the Southeast Asia Region. During this time, he was an active member of SENIA Manila Chapter. He personally saw how SENIA brought together all the stakeholders – educators, parents, administrators, and students to build a more inclusive community and how it created a venue in which all of these stakeholders could share resources and best practices to serve the needs of ALL students. After his time in Manila, he served as the High School Learning Support Teacher in Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador. During this time he and his co-teacher Vanessa Weber (ISKL) built the first intensive needs program in South America and along with that a social enterprise called Sweet Morning Charities, a coffee shop that ties in with their Life Skills Curriculum. This project did not only foster inclusion in the school community but provided service-learning opportunities as all of its proceeds were donated to Fundacion Reina de Quito which supports the education of children with down syndrome. This project was recognized by Association of American School in South America (AASSA) in 2017 in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.
Jay is looking forward to bring all of his experience in SENIA Manila and in South America by collaborating with all the members of SENIA Africa in building a more inclusive school community in the region. SENIA has been very close to his heart after his student in IS Manila, Reed Santos, received the 2015 SENIA Student Award and witnessed how this organization could be a platform to provide recognition for all of the hard work of Learning Support students to achieve their maximum potential.
