INTERLINK teachers are selected for their knowledge and competence in the field of ESL, their extensive cross-cultural experience, and their unqualified commitment to their students. They use a variety of methods and approaches to mold their classes in accordance with their personal pedagogical outlooks, the needs of the particular individuals in the class, and the fundamental principles and goals of INTERLINK.
Valley Peters, Institute Director
Growing up in rural Nebraska and Montana, Valley Peters acquired wanderlust at a young age as she dreamt of far-flung places. A study abroad program in college to New Zealand ignited her plan to pursue a lifetime of traveling and learning about other cultures. A stint as an Americorps volunteer ESL instructor opened the door for combining travel and culture with her love for learning. Outside the classroom, you’ll find her dabbling in artistic pursuits, hiking, hanging out with her daughter, and listening to Tedtalks.Valley has taught in Japan, Mexico, and in the United States in a variety of settings. Her love for the outdoors led her to Jackson, Wyoming where she spent 10 years at a non-profit developing literacy programming for adults, training ESL tutors and teachers, and eventually acting as the executive director. Her professional interests include learning-to-learn strategies, reading development, reflective practice, learner efficacy, and intercultural competence. She has presented at conferences in Japan, Wyoming, and Washington on “constructive chaos” in the classroom, group discussion skills, reflective practice, participatory pedagogy, training ESL tutors, and advanced reading strategies.
Ana Valdivia, Operations Director
Ana Valdivia is originally from Lima, Peru. She graduated as an Architect before coming to Bozeman where she has lived for more than 15 years and is now used to the long and cold winters. Her interest for learning about different cultures began in 2000 when she began working on the Montana State University campus. Being herself a non-native English speaker, she found the perfect place to help foreign students coming to Bozeman.Over the years, Ana has taken different roles and assumed increasing responsibilities. She is now responsible for financial reporting, reconciliation accounting and tuition records and works directly with INTERLINK Home Office staff. Ana enjoys meeting students from different countries and backgrounds, assisting and seeing them succeed at INTERLINK.
Kristina Allison, Instructor
Kristina has been working in the field of education for nearly 15 years in a variety of capacities. She has been in her current role as Instructor at INTERLINK (previously A.C.E. Language Institute) since 2012. She has also worked in learning and development in the business sector, developed educational materials for financial professionals, edited online learning modules, and served as the liaison between parents and schools. She has also lived and worked overseas in an international organization and loves everything about learning and teaching languages. Kristina obtained her CELTA certificate in 2011 in Bogota, Colombia. Her previous career was in social work (M.S.W.), where she worked for several years facilitating workshops for parents and educators in behavior-management techniques. She has also taught French to children. Kristina finds working at INTERLINK to be the nearly perfect blend between her love of languages and her desire to teach and help others. She sincerely enjoys the opportunity to develop relationships with students from around the world and loves having a job that is never boring. Outside of work, Kristina looks for chances to get outside: running, biking, skiing, snowboarding, dining alfresco – if it’s outside, she’ll happily do it! She also spends a good portion of her downtime trying to wear out two dogs while keeping up with two kids.