MEET OUR TEAM
Chinese Program
PinYan Chen
Ms.Chen is an esteemed TESOL Master and World Language Educator at NYU, specializing in Chinese language instruction. With over five years of experience teaching both native and non-native speakers, Ms. Chen is passionate about working with young learners. She skillfully employs diverse teaching methods to engage and inspire students of all learning styles.
Yilin Xu
Yilin Xu is a passionate and dedicated educator currently pursuing a Master's degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. With a wealth of teaching experience in both Chinese and English, Ms. Xu has taught in diverse settings, including remote elementary schools in China and international organizations. Additionally, Ms. Xu has a background in dance education, which further enriches her teaching approach. Ms. Xu is committed to creating engaging and culturally rich learning environments, empowering students to develop language proficiency and cross-cultural understanding.
Lizzy Ma has a background in Chinese and English language education, starting with her undergraduate studies in Business English in mainland China. Her program emphasized cross-cultural communication, providing valuable insights into diverse cultural contexts. Lizzy gained experience teaching from children to adult learners, enhancing her ability to engage students effectively. She later pursued a Master’s degree in Teaching English to speakers of other languages （TESOL） at New York University. Lizzy applies communicative teaching methods to improve learners’ practical language skills, prioritizing cultural responsiveness and interactive learning strategies across different educational settings.
Anna Tang
Anna Yanan Tang is a dedicated educator with a strong love and passion for education. She is currently a junior at New York University majoring in Global Education and minoring in Media, Culture, and Communication.She has a solid professional background and rich practical experience in education. As a Chinese girl living in China for more than 18 years, she is fluent in Chinese and has deep understanding of and passion for Chinese culture. She deeply understands the importance of cross-cultural communication, and specializes in combining media culture and education to make the learning process more lively and interesting through diversified teaching methods. She hopes and is committed to incorporating rich Chinese culture into her teaching to help her students fully understand and master the Chinese language.
Adult Chinese Program
Alesa Li
Ms. Li is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL) after having obtained a Master's degree in the same field. With her extensive theoretical knowledge of Chinese teaching and over two years of experience in teaching Chinese to both native and non-native speakers, Alesa is a highly qualified instructor. Her teaching style is characterized by passion and patience, and her cheerful and lively demeanor makes for a comfortable and engaging learning experience.
Yanjie Han
Ms. Han graduated from Capital Normal University with a major in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL). She previously worked as a Mandarin teacher at Beijing Foreign Studies University, where she taught Intensive Chinese and Business Culture to undergraduates. Ms. Han specializes in both oral and written Chinese, and is particularly skilled at teaching Chinese grammar and characters in a fun and engaging way. Her friendly and helpful teaching style makes her popular among her students, who appreciate her dedication to helping them improve their language skills.
Math Program
Jie Geng
Ms.Geng holds a M.S. in Mathematics from NYU, a B.A. in Mathematics and B.A. in Statistics from UC Berkeley. She has extensive experience in teaching and preparing students for AMC/AIME level math, Beast Academy, Singapore Math, AP Statistics, UK college interviews and undergraduate level math courses. She believes mathematical processes (definition→ reasoning/proofs→ applications) are important from a young age. As a mother of two, she is looking forward to immersing young friends in mathematical thinking at TongYan School
Art Program
Shaheen Yadav
Shaheen, a self-taught artist, draws inspiration from everyday objects in her art. Her memory and recall is associated with how she feels and that is many times translated into her art. Her interactions with people and nature are a valuable part of the creative process.
Danielle Tuiran
Danielle is a visual artist with a strong focus on video production. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology, where she is majoring in Visual Arts with a concentration in Moving Image, and minoring in Film Studies. With over 10 years of experience with the arts, she strives to express the importance of art and how it can be used to inspire and influence students of all ages.
Online Chess Program
Chess Academy Gagunashvili (CAG)
TongYan School is excited to collaborate with the renowned Chess Academy Gagunashvili (CAG) in Europe to introduce an engaging and flexible online chess program. The founders of CAG and the main coaches are GM Merab Gagunashvili and WIM Marija Stojanovic-Gagunashvili.
They have formed a team of very experienced coaches who would like to share their chess knowledge
with people from all around the world. This team is still active on the international chess stage, acting in
the roles of coaches, players, and arbiters.
GM Merab Gagunashvili was born in Tbilisi where he started playing chess at the age of six and
repeatedly won Georgian championships in the age categories. He represented Georgia in several
European and world championships in the age categories. He finished second in the Junior World
Championships when he was 16 and by the age of 17, he had won the title of grandmaster and became
Georgia's youngest grandmaster. He participated in and won many international tournaments, as well as
individual medals at European team championships. In 2004 and 2007, he participated in the individuals’
World Cup.
For the last 10 years, he has worked as a coach and a second. He was head coach of Kuwait's national team at the 2018 Olympics and Iraq's national team at the 2011 Arab Games.
GM Mihajlo Stojanovic was born in Belgrade and started showing interest in chess at a very early age.
He repeatedly won Yugoslavia’s championship in the age categories and represented the country at
European and world championships. He participated in and won many international individuals and
team tournaments in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, and many other countries.
He has been a chess coach for more than 20 years. At the last Olympics, he coached and captained the
Japanese team. Since 2005 he has been the title holder of FIDE Instructor and from 2006 to today, he
coached the national teams of Serbia, Switzerland, and Japan.
IM Jovan Todorovic was born in Kraljevo, where he made his first chess steps. He participated in many
domestic and international tournaments, which enabled him to win the IM title in 2008. Since 2000 he has worked as an individual and team coach, and he was awarded the title of FIDE
Instructor in 2018.
WIM Marija Stojanovic-Gagunashvili was born in Belgrade and started learning chess from her father at
the age of 4. She has participated in tournaments since the age of 8 and has repeatedly won the
Yugoslav championship in the age categories. At the European Rapid Chess Championship, she won
bronze medals in individual and team under-18 competitions. She has participated in many domestic
and international tournaments. She won the WIM title at the 2014 Olympics, where she played for the
Montenegro team.
She has had the title of International arbiter since 2010 and has arbitered at many European children’s
and adult championships, European clubs CUP, and world championships for children, as well as many
domestic and international tournaments.
She has been coaching since 2004 and she won first place in the Junior League of Belgrade as head
coach. She has coached children individually and her students won medals at the championships of Serbia, Montenegro, and the State of Tamil Nadu. She has the FIDE Instructor title which she was awarded at a seminar held in 2014.
Dance Program
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Yafei Chen
Ms. Chen is an accomplished teacher with a passion for dance. Throughout her life, Ms. Chen has harbored a deep love for dance. She played various roles in a local ballet production in Chongqing, including the lead in "The White-Haired Girl" and the female protagonist in "Ode to Yimeng." Ms.Chen has participated in the annual dance competitions among universities in Chongqing, earning collective awards on multiple occasions. With her extensive experience in dance instruction, she has been teaching at the Jersey City Chinese Dance Team since November 2019, choreographing over 70 dances and leading the team in numerous performances and shows.
陈亚非老师毕业于重庆第二师范学院数学专业，先从事高初中教学长达15年，后在重庆大学工作了22年，直至退休前担任重庆大学建筑设计院深圳分院院长助理。陈老师自小热爱舞蹈，曾在重庆一家业余芭蕾舞剧中饰演过多个角色，其中包括《白毛女》女主角和《沂蒙颂》的女主角。她自编自导的歌舞剧《雷锋的故事》在重庆沙区文化馆文艺比赛中获得一等奖。陈老师曾参加重庆市每年一度的大专院校舞蹈比赛，多次荣获集体奖项。她拥有丰富的舞蹈教学经验。2019年11月至今在Jersey City华人舞蹈队任教，教学七十多支舞蹈并率领舞蹈队参加过多次舞蹈表演和演出。