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Adult School Instructors



Sabrina Infante, Director of the Italian Language Program & Instructor

Sabrina, called Florence home for almost 15 years. She has also lived in Verona and Venice, and has family in the Naples area. Sabrina has taught Italian language, literature, and culture for over 20 years at all levels, and loves sharing her knowledge and passion with her students. She began teaching at a nursery school in Italy, and later taught high school in the Boston area. After completing a Doctorate in Modern Languages, Sabrina moved to Minnesota in 2017 with her husband Paolo and their son Luca. Sabrina has taught at several universities, including the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota.  Sabrina is responsible for both the Adult and Youth School curricula, as well as the PLIDA Certification Exam administration through the Dante Alighieri Society in Rome.



Martina Di Silvio-Sabah, Instructor

Martina  was born and raised in a small town in Emilia Romagna (Northern Italy) between Modena and Reggio Emilia. International Education has always been a big part of her life: in high school, she spent a semester in Chili; in college, she spent one academic year studying in Turkey; after obtaining her Bachelor's Degree, she moved to the U.S. as an au pair. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of International Student Services at Concordia University, St. Paul. Martina enjoys spending time with her son, art, nature, and of course, traveling.



Pierangela Garau, Instructor 

Pierangela is an Italian artist born in Sardegna, a beautiful island in the center of the Mediterranean sea and lived in Brescia, Lombardia, for twenty years. After graduating from Liceo Classico, the high school specialized in humanities, Pierangela earned a degree in Visual Arts from the Brera Academy  of Fine Arts in Milano followed by a Master in Visual Design from Nuova Accademia del Design (NAD) in Verona. She moved to Minnesota in 2021 and joined ICC in January 2023. Pierangela enjoys teaching Italian language and culture to students at all levels of proficiency. She likes to spend her free time practicing CrossFit and Yoga, traveling, and pursuing her passion for photography.



Mariateresa Maruska Monaco, Instructor

Mariateresa relocated to Minnesota in 2019 with her husband and children. Born and raised in Cuneo, Piemonte, after attending Liceo Classico, Mariateresa earned a Laurea in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Torino and a Diploma in Piano from the Conservatorio Verdi di Torino. During her engineering studies she met her husband, and after working in Italy for a while they decided to follow their “American Dream” and moved to the Boston area for graduate studies at MIT, in engineering and business. They spent many years studying and working in Boston, and then they moved to Iowa and now Minnesota! After raising three bilingual children (now all in college) and a long career in the stock market, she’s exploring her old passions for piano and Italian teaching, along with her finance and investment interests.


Romina Montanari, Instructor

Romina a native of Emilia Romagna, has been teaching Italian to adults extensively in the Twin Cities since 2007. Her teaching philosophy is to create a fun, intensive learning experience for students with many opportunities for interactive exercises and practice. She strives to give students a better understanding of the Italian culture coupled with practical uses of the language for travel, business and pleasure. She received her Bachelor degree in Economics from the University of Modena and a Professional Diploma in Marketing from the University of California-Berkeley.



Luisa O'Gara, Instructor

Luisa was born and raised in Puglia in the Southern part of Italy, the land of the Trulli, and famous for Tarantella and Primitivo wine. Luisa is the youngest of three siblings. Her mother was a school teacher, which inspired Luisa to earn a degree in Education from the University of Firenze. Luisa met her future husband while in college, they live in the metro area with their two children. She joined the ICC Adult school team in Spring 2012 and directed the Youth School Program from 2015 to 2021.



Stefania Padalino,  Marketing and Communications Manager & Instructor

Stefania was born in Catania, Sicily, and has resided in various locations across Italy, including Naples, Verona, Vicenza, Tivoli, and Pisa. She has also lived in multiple cities in the United States and recently served as a graphic designer and Marketing Coordinator on a U.S. Army base in South Korea. Stefania holds a diploma in Early Child Development, a teaching certificate from the Italian Ministry of Education in Vicenza, and a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Oregon State University. Stefania joined ICC in the spring of 2023 after a successful career in public service as a U.S. Army Civilian.


Mirella Rossi Heimpel, Instructor 

Mirella is a native of Rome. She holds a Laurea in Psychology from the University of Roma "La Sapienza". Mirella has lived in the United States for 23 years and taught Italian privately and through different community programs. Besides focusing on the four basic skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, she attaches equal importance to learning about Italy and its rich culture.


Ileana Tamberlani Kraft, Instructor and Programming & Administrative  Manager of the Italian Film Festival

Ileana was born and grew up in a town by the coastline 30 miles south of Roma. She studied Political Sciences at the University in Roma. After living in Belgium for four years and traveling around Europe with her family, she met her husband and moved to the Twin Cities in 2010. She has been teaching Italian online to students from all over the world since 2011 and she also does interpreting and translating jobs. She strives to integrate Italian culture in her classes and daily life with students, family, and friends.



Eleonora Villani, Instructor

Eleonora, originally from the historic town of Manoppello in the beautiful Abruzzo region of Italy, completed her studies in L'Aquila, where she earned a Master's in Modern Languages and International Studies and a Bachelor's in Linguistic Mediation and Intercultural Communication. She is a freelance translator and an experienced instructor who has spent many years teaching Italian as a second language, bringing languages to life in dynamic and engaging ways. Before moving to the United States, Eleonora lived in several vibrant European cities, including Bologna, Genoa, Lyon, Geneva, and Paris. After two enriching years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she settled in Minneapolis — a city she adores for its diversity and spirit of innovation. She believes learning a language means connecting deeply with the people, histories, and traditions that make it unique.


Youth School Instructors


Tiah Colacci, Youth School Instructor

Tiah has an MA in Instruction and a K-12 Reading Teacher license from St. Mary's University. She has taught preschool through high school, including a few summers teaching in Italy. Her grandparents are from the province of Molise, and she enjoys visiting her relatives in Campobasso and San Severino Marche.



Martina Di Silvio-Sabah,  IYouth School Instructor

Martina was born and raised in a small town in Emilia Romagna (Northern Italy) between Modena and Reggio Emilia. International Education has always been a big part of her life: in high school, she spent a semester in Chili; in college, she spent one academic year studying in Turkey; after obtaining her Bachelor's Degree, she moved to the U.S. as an au pair. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of International Student Services at Concordia University, St. Paul. Martina enjoys spending time with her son, art, nature, and of course, traveling.




Isabella Lowe, Youth School Instructor

Isa, born to an Italian mother and raised in Edina, MN, gained fluency in Italian during a year of elementary school in Italy and continues to visit the Pavia area every summer. Isa is pursuing a degree in Italian Studies, Communications, and Cinema & Media at the University of Minnesota, where she also serves as Co-president of Società Italiana, an Italian student club on campus. With years of experience working with children, Isa is dedicated to creating a fun and immersive learning environment for young students.



Magdalena Schroeder, Youth School Instructor 

Lena "Leonora" Schroeder (she/lei) grew up in Central Minnesota and Austria. After studying abroad in Bologna for an academic year, she received her BA in Italian Studies from the University of Minnesota. Lena has worked at Lago del Bosco, the Italian immersion camp at Concordia Language Villages, since 2016. She spent most of these summers teaching or directing the High School Credit program. In 2022, Lena also directed the language immersion day camp at Casa Italia, an Italian cultural center in Chicago, for children aged 5-13. She has traveled extensively throughout Italy but remains most connected to Bologna. She is excited to get more connected to the Italian-speaking community in Minnesota. 


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