Meet the Team

Team Members

	Braden Chase A long time speaker, teacher, and student of Portuguese, Braden has lived in and traveled to many parts of Brazil. He began learning Portuguese through an immersion program in São Paulo in 2003. He has since worked as a translator and language consultant bringing the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture to students throughout the world. He has been a student of languages, linguistics, and international relations for over seven years.
	Thássia Camila Florêncio Costa A recent graduate of the Federal University of Paraíba with a teaching degree in English and Portuguese, Thássia started learning English at ten years old. She studied at Elite College in London and Abbey College in Ireland, has been an English teacher in Brazil for eight years, and currently teaches English to children with learning disabilities.
	Paloma Shirozu Soares Paloma was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2009, she came to Japan to study at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and currently, she is attending the International Bio-Business Department. She has been learning English for more than eight years, and in Japan she has the chance to improve her English, Japanese, and Spanish skills. Languages are her hobby and her passion.
	Sílvia graduated in 2006 with a degree in Tourism, worked for several international companies and is currently studying law in Curitiba, where she lives. She started learning English at 11, spent six-months in North Carolina, and a year in Germany. When asked “Why Germany?” she reminds, “60% of English has German roots. Plus, it’s my ancestry.”
	Luciane is a professional chef and has been cooking since she was 7. She lived in the United States for 4 years, has traveled to 5 different countries, is proficient in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Italian and is planning a trip to Portugal next year.
	Anna Maria Juul Anna was born in a small village called Vole in Denmark, then moved to Lagos in Portugal when she was 6. Because of her international upbringing, she speaks Danish, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Japanese and German. Her main interests are history, theater, skiing and singing. She graduated from the University of Copenhagen with a Bachelor in Theater studies and minors in Portuguese and Japanese theater and culture. She’s been teaching Portuguese and French in Japan. Anna has a passion for learning about and teaching languages and cultures around the world.
	Felipe Kolb Bernardes Felipe was born and raised in Brazil. He has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. After graduating he came to Japan with his lovely wife, where he completed a CG course, and now works as a full-time illustrator at Innovative Language Learning.
	Jade Furuta Jade is a Brazilian Japanese who moved to Japan when she was 10 years old. Jade loves meeting new people and visiting new countries to learn about their culture and practice new idioms. She especially loves going to the Philippines every year. Jade works as model, Tokyo private tour guide, and YouTuber. You can easily find out more about her on social media!
	Ana Clara S.Veiga Ohga Ana was born in Brazil and she currently lives in Japan. Before moving to Japan, she lived in New York for six years and worked as a fashion model. She also attended fashion weeks in Paris and Milan as a catwalk model. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing with her daughter and doing outdoor activities. She is a native Portuguese speaker and fluent in English and Japanese.
	Caroline Villarroel Caroline Plocharski was born and raised in Curitiba, south of Brazil. She has lived in different countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan. Apart from Portuguese, she speaks English, Swedish, and understands Spanish. She has a construction technician degree and law background with a Masters in Intellectual Capital Management from the University of Goteborg, Sweden. She loves traveling and spending time with her family in parks around Tokyo. She is glad to be a part of the PortuguesePod101 team.
	Sofia Pereira Sofia Pereira was born in São Paulo, Brazil. She studied classical music in college, as a composer and singer. She always loved languages and started learning by herself at a young age. She speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish, and understands French and Italian. She works as an English and Portuguese Foreign Language teacher and also as a writer and translator. She loves dogs, Lusophone Poetry, Anglo-American Literature, Psychology, Astrobiology, Philosophy, and is a vegan.
	Maira Salazar Maira Salazar was born in the “Marvelous City,” Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her love for diversity and multiculturalism has taken her to Canada, Portugal, Spain, and Belgium, where she has continued to explore different languages. As a graduate in the communication sciences, she sees the power of being understood and understanding others, as well as the role that language plays in it. With that in mind, she plans to continue exploring more of the world’s natural wonders, people, and sights.
	Miguel Miguel is a Brazilian writer from Sao Paulo who has also lived in Portugal and Spain at different stages of his life. In addition to travel, Miguel is also interested in sports, technology, politics, culture, and economy. He genuinely hopes that his articles can present the beautiful Portuguese language in a way that is interesting to students.