Our Story 

President and Senior Partner 

msasamoto@aspirelanguage.com
BS – The University of Hawaii at Manoa (Food Science, Human Nutrition & Clinical Dietetics) Boston University – additional course work

As Executive Director of the Intercultural Communications College of Honolulu, Hawaii, Mika served students arriving from 6 continents learning languages and teachers learning the principles of language instruction. She led ICC Hawaii to its accreditation from the Commission on English Language Accreditation, its becoming a University of Cambridge testing center and receiving approval at the State and Federal level for tuition assistance for its CELTA teacher training program. Under Mika’s leadership, ICC expanded its programs to include winter and summer ESL camps for Kids and Teens; foreign language instruction for government personnel and the general public and more professional development options for language teachers around the world. Prior to her leadership at ICC, Mika held positions in the travel industry. She is fluent in English and Japanese.

CEO and Senior Partner 

lminervino@aspirelanguage.com
MBA – University of Chicago. Concentration in personnel issues
MS and BA University of Iowa – Library Science and General Studies.

For 14 years, Louise served in Director positions at ICC Hawaii and Academia Language schools. In each of these schools, she wrote curriculum and instructional policy and led the self-studies to receive national accreditation through ACCET and CEA. In both institutions, she supervised foreign language and ESL instructors and instruction. Prior to this she taught ESL in Honolulu and the Dalian Railway Institute (now Jiang Tong University) in Dalian, China and worked with a team to set up an American school for the Futures School in Cairo, Egypt. She has served as an Assistant Commissioner of Education for the State of New Jersey. Louise has a BA and MA from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Southeast Representative 

bforrester@aspirelanguage.com
M.A. Second Language Studies – University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii
Graduate Certificate (Organizational Change) – Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii
B.S. Psychology – University of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii
A.A. Liberal Arts – Saipan, the Northern Marianas Islands

With roots in Hawaii, Bintari has made her home in Tampa for the last 8 years. She has over fifteen years experience in teaching her native Indonesian language and has presented at conferences of language educators. With her certification for specialized legal translation services she has provided translation and interpretation for state and federal courts. She has provided both interpretation and simultaneous translations for the United Nations and for other international organizations. Bintari has extensive knowledge of Southeast Asian cultures and history, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia.

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