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Waleed Al Lami
Danish Instructor
Waleed lived and grew up in Roskilde and Copenhagen, Denmark, for 18 years. He learned the Danish language as a teenager and loves to teach it. He wants to share his experiences of how to learn a new language in the easiest and most enjoyable ways. Waleed studied cooking at the International Hospitality College in Copenhagen, and is a former chef at DGI Byen Copenhagen. In addition to teaching Danish, he teaches self-defense, is a personal trainer and tae kwon do instructor. Waleed lives in Ohio.
Laura A Wideburg
PhD
Lead Swedish Instructor
Laura loves teaching the Swedish language, which she has done for almost 3 decades. She has written 7 books for adult learners of Swedish, which have been very popular among her students. She has also translated twenty books from Swedish to English, including novels by Inger Frimansson, Sara Lövestam and Helene Tursten. As her Ph. D. is in medieval Germanic literature and historical linguistics, she is well-qualified to teach culture classes on the history of Scandinavia and literary works in Old Icelandic, which she loves to share with her students.
Ethan Bjelland-Hagberg
Norwegian Instructor
Ethan is a graduate student and educator in the Department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington, having recently moved to Seattle from Minneapolis, MN. Ethan speaks Norwegian and Swedish and has taught all ages and abilities, from preschoolers to students in their 90s. Before working with SLI, Ethan served as the Communications Director for Norway House in Minneapolis and was a professional actor and stage director. They have taught with the Concordia Language Villages, the American Swedish Institute, the Mindekirken Norwegian Language and Culture Program, and as a private instructor. Ethan lives in Ballard with their husband, Jade, and their two dogs, Ollie and Dieter. Ethan's interests include the performing arts, gender and performance studies, Henrik Ibsen, community building, the Eurovision Song Contest, cooking and wine tasting, fountain pens, and the Muppets.
David Whitlock, PhC
Norwegian Instructor
After living in Oslo, Tromsø, and Trondheim, David Wayne Whitlock is now a PhD candidate in Scandinavian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington. A self-proclaimed language and etymology nerd, he speaks Norwegian, Swedish, and Latvian, and can read Danish and even a bit of Old Norse. A former Fulbright English teacher, David has years of experience teaching Norwegian to both university students and private clients, working with learners of all ages. He's also a member of the Norwegian Historical Association, and loves diving into conversations about Scandinavian history and politics. Outside of academics, he's played in several Seattle-area rock bands, all of them thoroughly obscure.
Melissa Lucas
MA, MS, PhD
Lead Danish Instructor
Director of SLI
Melissa hails from Michigan, but has lived in the Seattle area for over 20 years. She learned Danish in a "total-immersion" program in Denmark, later earning a PhD in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Washington. She's also earned master's degrees in Speech Pathology, and Linguistics. As you might surmise, Melissa loves language and learning! She's also wild about teaching Danish and can't wait to help you move forward in your Danish-language quest! If you are interested in private lessons, check out her website here: www.letsdansk.com
Melissa also is a translator. She recently translated Ruthless. a Danish "krimi" (mystery) by Anne Mette Hancock, and is currently working on The Key from Cordoba, a work of historical fiction by Flemming Oppenhagen Behrend.
When not "dansking," Melissa loves co-op boardgaming, pottery, and listening to audiobooks mysteries by Louise Penny and the like. Favorite narrators: Shiromi Arserio, Ralph Cosham, Gerard Doyle, and Caroline Lennon.
Emma Krieg
Swedish Instructor
Emma was born and raised in Sweden and moved to the U.S. for university and decided to make it her home. She received her BA from Texas A&M University. She has been active in Swedish organisations within the US and worked with language skills assessment for the past 6 years. Currently residing in Tennessee with her family, she enjoys reading, skiing, and camping.
Kim Kraft-Jones
MA
Swedish Instructor
Kim lived in Osby, Sweden as a Rotary exchange student in the early 90s and has been in love with the language and culture ever since. She earned her Master's in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Washington while teaching beginning Swedish courses and is currently working on her PhD at the University of Basque Country with a focus on "Language Learning Beyond the Classroom." Kim has also co-directed three study abroad programs to Sweden with students from the University of Washington, with a focus on social justice in the Nordic region. She is personable and enthusiastic, and she brings that energy to her language classes, whether in person or online. In her free time, she loves yoga, dance fitness, hiking, paddleboarding, coffee, travel, books, and (of course) languages.
Ed Egerdahl
Founder
Norwegian Instructor
Ed graduated in 1977 from the Scandinavian Department of the University of Washington earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Norwegian Language and Literature, and Education. Ed has been teaching Norwegian language classes professionally at various locations in the Seattle area since 1978.
Collin Brown
PhD
Norwegian Instructor
Collin is from Seattle and first started studying Norwegian at Pacific Lutheran University. He received his PhD from UT Austin in 2018, with a dissertation focusing on Danish and Swedish missions to the Sámi. Collin has taught Norwegian and German, as well as courses on Nordic folklore, the Vikings, and early medieval literature. When he isn't teaching, he's busy poring over ancient tomes, walking his dog, or writing.
Celine Anderson
Danish Instructor
Celine was born and raised just outside of Copenhagen, Denmark, and earned her degree in Purchasing from TEKO in Herning. She first moved to the U.S. in 2015 and, after spending a total of about six years between Denmark and the States, began teaching Danish in the spring. Celine loves helping students discover the language and culture of her home country. In addition to her passion for teaching, she has a creative streak—she’s an avid artist who’s always working on new projects. She’s also a lifelong skier and even spent two seasons teaching on the slopes where she resides in Utah.
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