Members

Leila El Bahlouli was born and raised in Meknes, Morocco. She attended Sidi Mohamed Ibn Abdellah University in Fes and got a BA degree in English linguistics, which was the highest possible degree at that time- more than twenty years ago. She then went to Souk El Arbae du Gharb for two years' civil service. Civil service, as a substitution to military service, was a kind of community service which consisted in doing two years free work in different public institutions for your community. It was a great opportunity for her to discover the world of education and teaching, to care for kids and teenagers in difficult situations and face many challenges; but mainly she learned to help others in her community and started taking part in any social or community event that was for the common good. When she got her teaching certifications and diplomas, she carried on teaching officially in public high schools in different cities in Morocco. However, she never forgot that along with teaching, she had to do something for the kids in precarious situations. She has been teaching at the American Language Center of Kenitra since 2005.

Erica Fredrikson was born and raised just outside of San Francisco, California. She attended Grinnell College in Iowa, in the middle of the US, receiving a degree in American Studies. While at university, Erica studied abroad in southern India, and first discovered a life-long love of teaching and travel. After graduating, she returned to India to work and teach, and later moved abroad again when she served in the US Peace Corps in the Republic of Kiribati, a country of small islands in the central Pacific. Erica has taught both elementary school and special education in the US. She first came to Morocco while completing her master’s degree in TESOL, and has been teaching at the American Language Center of Kenitra since 2013. Her favorite class is always Discussion Club, because she enjoys hearing the perspectives, ideas, and stories of her students.