Our Staff – Farber Swim School

Here at Farber Swim School, we pride ourselves on having a fun and energetic staff who love the water and love to teach! All of our instructors are trained to teach ages 4–18 years. Some of our instructors go through extra training to specialize in: Adults, Babies (4mo–35 months), Fearful swimmers, Little swimmers (2.5–3 years), Additional needs, and Team-level.

To get to know our staff, click a name to read their bio and see what extra training/qualifications they have.

Owners
	Adam Farber Adam Farber Close Title: Business Owner / Swim Instructor / Coach Adam has been around pools all of his life. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona where he started swimming competitively at the age of 5. He swam through high school and then afterward began teaching lessons for Hubbard Family Swim School. After moving to Nevada, Adam continued teaching professionally at multiple facilities, which led to coaching positions at Sparks High School and the University of Nevada. Adam then moved to Oregon and after working at a local swim school for a couple years, founded Farber Swim School in 2007. Adam oversees all aspects of the swim school, including coaching the FSS Penguins and Pee Wees swim teams. In addition he is Head Coach of Sunset High School's men's and women's swim teams. Adam is a US Swim School Association Level 2 Instructor as well as an American Swim Coaches Association Level 3. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Additional needs, Fears, Adults, Team-level Oregon State High School Swimming Titles: 2017 - Girls 1st in state & Boys 2nd in state 2016 - Girls 3rd in state & Boys 3rd in state 2015 - Girls 2nd in state & Boys 3rd in state 2014 - Girls 4th in state & Boys 1st in state 2013 - Girls 2nd in state & Boys 1st in state 2012 - Boy's 1st in state 2011 - Boy's 1st in state 2010 - Girl's 3rd in state Awards: 2014 - Oregon Athletic Association's 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year 2014 - Metro League Coach of the Year 2013 - Oregon Athletic Association's 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year 2013 - Metro League Coach of the Year 2012 - Metro League Coach of the Year 2011 - Oregon Athletic Association's 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year 2011 - Metro League Coach of the Year	The family!	Kristin Farber Kristin Farber Close Title: Business Owner Kristin's background is in teaching and coordinating sports and recreational programs for youth and adults. She has worked for Oregon State University's recreation department and KidSpirit Youth Programs, Willamette Valley Girls on the Run, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, and Tualatin Hills Park Recreation. At FSS, Kristin's focus is on managing the business side of things: coordinating programs, keeping the office running, and making sure FSS is providing the best customer service to its participants!

Managers
	Amanda Billing Manager Amanda - Billing Manager Close Title: Billing Manager Amanda was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. She grew up on the beach surfing year round. Amanda has a broad competitive sports background and was on several high school teams including soccer, dive, and track & field. After college she moved to Beaverton in 2008 to escape the hustle of Southern California and give her fair skin a break! Her experience spans over 10 years and includes business management, tax preparation, financial reporting, policy implementation, auditing, and forensic accounting. In her free time, she and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, golfing, archery, wine tasting, exploring new places, and spending time with family & friends. FSS employee since: July 2017		Jen HR Manager Jen - HR Manager Close Title: HR Manager Jen was born and raised in Portland where she lives now with her husband and six kids. She did her undergraduate work at Portland State and got her MBA at Marylhurst University. After earning her SPHR and SHRM-SCP, Jen worked for a lot of really great places including First Unitarian Church of Portland, Camp Fire Columbia, Neighborhood House and, currently, Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. Jen came to work for FSS in April of 2018 and loves it because she really believes in the mission of helping people develop an appreciation of and affinity for water. She also really believes in the staff at Farber and is impressed by how dedicated each is to the mission of the organization and how hard they work for and care about the kids and families.

Administrative Staff
Amanda Amanda Close Title: Office Assistant Amanda was raised in Salem, OR and has been living in Portland for the past 4 years. She is currently going to PSU for her Music Education degree with plans to teach middle school and high school orchestra and choir. She has previously worked with the office staff at the Department of Human Services, Direct Travel Company, and the Radisson Hotel. Amanda is excited to be working in a fun family environment where she gets to build relationships with the families and watch children accomplish amazing things in the water! FSS Employee since: June 2019	Annie Baby Program Coordinator Annie - Baby Program Coordinator Close Title: Baby Program Coordinator / Communications Assistant / Instructor Annie grew up in Beaverton and attended college in Idaho. She then moved to England where she earned her master's degree in English at the University of Kent, Canterbury. She has always loved swimming, and it wasn't long after starting office work at Farber that she just had to get in the water with those cute kids! Annie loves FSS's individual-centered approach to teaching students in a steady progression from infant to adult. She is especially passionate about teaching infants and over the years has collaborated with the owners to enhance the Baby & Me program. Her favorite parts of the job are: watching her amazing students learn; organizing fun events; and creating the monthly coloring contests! Annie's favorite swimming stroke is the breaststroke. She is a nerd who spends her free time reading, writing, painting, and petting her dog Remy, the cutest dog in the world. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Fears, Special Needs FSS employee since: February 2014	Brenna Brenna Close Title: Office Assistant Photo and Bio coming soon!	Courtney Courtney Close Title: Office Staff & Swim Instructor Courtney learned to swim the old-fashioned way—in rivers and lakes as she was growing up in Gresham! She started working with kids as a teen when she coached hockey for younger children. She loves establishing that trust and bond with her students, and the joy of watching them achieve their goals and grow in confidence. In the office, Courtney loves getting to know the kids, listening to their stories and questions and making them laugh. Likewise, Courtney always wants to bring laughter into her lessons. Swimming is an important skill for everyone to learn, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun, too! In her downtime, Courtney's favorite thing to do is spend quality family time with her partner and her 5-year-old son. Together they enjoy hiking and camping, especially in Courtney's favorite travel destination, Sisters OR. Specialties: Ages 4–18	Diane Diane Close Title: Office Assistant / Instructor Diane grew up swimming, sailing, and ice skating, in Mountain Lakes, NJ which has five lakes, but not a single mountain. While lakes are lovely, she much prefers swimming in pools where there are no water snakes or snapping turtles. After high school, Diane came to Oregon to climb real mountains and to study English at Reed College and later worked as a computer programmer for Fred Meyer, a secretary at a genetics institute in Germany, and as a high school and college English instructor in Ohio. These days Diane lives Southwest Portland with her husband, three teenagers, one dog, and three cats, and can often be found at her daughters’ softball games, her son’s theater productions, or on the trails in Forest Park. Diane is thrilled to be a part of the Farber Swim Family because she loves to help people learn and feels privileged to be able to teach swimming. Just learning how to move your body in water is magical, but learning to swim is also about learning to trust: your teacher, the water, and most of all, yourself. If you can learn to swim, you can learn just about anything! Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Adults, Fears FSS employee since: May 2017

	Jennifer Jenn Close Title: Office Assistant Bio coming soon! FSS employee since: July 2017	Teresa Teresa Close Title: Instructor / Office Assistant Teresa started swim lessons when she was just 3 years old, and has been a water-lover ever since! Born and raised in California, Teresa had plenty of opportunities to hone her swimming skills growing up. Her favorite swim stroke is Breaststroke. Teresa has worked with children and infants since her teen years, and loves how honest and curious they are. Children exemplify the best parts of humanity in its purest form. As an adult it is beautiful to see and, at times, humbling. It brings her joy when her little students say they're happy to see her, or when she tells them it's free time and their faces light up like she handed them a million dollars. Teresa has a passion for language and communication; at the University of Nevada, Reno she earned her B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). For TESOL she worked extensively in child development with elementary school children. Teresa also attended the University of San Francisco for graduate school. In her down time, Teresa reads extensively and watches YouTube to unwind. She also enjoys being civically engaged, attending and participating in local neighborhood association committee meetings, Beaverton Diversity Advisory Board meeting, Beaverton Organizational Leadership and Development seminars. Currently she is part of Beaverton Citizens Academy. Teresa finds it enriching to help people in her community, such as the next generation of swimmers here at FSS as she helps them learn and build swimming/pool safety skills. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Fears, Adults FSS employee since: June 2018	Vyvan Vyvan Close Title: Office Assistant Vyvan was born and raised in Beaverton, where she currently resides. She is a proud mom to two rambunctious boys and has taken the last two years off to be home with them. Previously she worked in banking, cosmetics, and at a aquatic center. When she's not chasing her boys around she likes to spend time with family and friends and being outdoors. She's enjoys finding new restaurants to try, traveling, and shopping. FSS employee since: May 2017

Instructors
Annie Baby Program Coordinator Annie - Baby Program Coordinator Close Title: Baby Program Coordinator / Communications Assistant / Instructor Annie grew up in Beaverton and attended college in Idaho. She then moved to England where she earned her master's degree in English at the University of Kent, Canterbury. She has always loved swimming, and it wasn't long after starting office work at Farber that she just had to get in the water with those cute kids! Annie loves FSS's individual-centered approach to teaching students in a steady progression from infant to adult. She is especially passionate about teaching infants and over the years has collaborated with the owners to enhance the Baby & Me program. Her favorite parts of the job are: watching her amazing students learn; organizing fun events; and creating the monthly coloring contests! Annie's favorite swimming stroke is the breaststroke. She is a nerd who spends her free time reading, writing, painting, and petting her dog Remy, the cutest dog in the world. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Fears, Special Needs FSS employee since: February 2014	Blake Blake Close Title: Instructor Blake was born in Portland and has lived here his whole life. In high school Blake swam Sunset Athletic club swim team, with his favorite stroke being the breaststroke. Blake loves swimming in the ocean as well, in particular surfing! He has been working with kids for years now, and is currently homeschooling his younger brother. He loves interacting with children because they are so funny and sweet, and make the greatest most unexpected connections between swimming and the other areas of their lives. Blake currently attends the Portland Fashion Institute If Blake could travel anywhere, it would be back to Jamaica to catch the best waves and see most beautiful blue oceans in the world! Closer to home, Blake enjoys mountain biking in his free time and playing with his two cats, Akbar and Softpaws. Specialties: Ages 3–18 FSS employee since: September 2016 Additional languages: Spanish (conversational)	Christina Christina Close Title: Instructor Christina is a swim instructor at FSS, she has been around the water her entire life, starting in her elementary school years. She has 10+ years of swim team and teaching experience, and loves sharing her knowledge of stroke technique with her students and swimmers. Growing up in the Philomath/Corvallis area, Christina studied music at Oregon State University up through the spring of 2018, then relocated up to the Portland area. She has taught all ages in the past: kids, teens, babies, and adults, and really loves the non-competitive nature of Farber lessons. In her spare time, she enjoys making quilts and embroidered wall hangings. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18 FSS Employee since: June 2018	Courtney Courtney Close Title: Office Staff & Swim Instructor Courtney learned to swim the old-fashioned way—in rivers and lakes as she was growing up in Gresham! She started working with kids as a teen when she coached hockey for younger children. She loves establishing that trust and bond with her students, and the joy of watching them achieve their goals and grow in confidence. In the office, Courtney loves getting to know the kids, listening to their stories and questions and making them laugh. Likewise, Courtney always wants to bring laughter into her lessons. Swimming is an important skill for everyone to learn, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun, too! In her downtime, Courtney's favorite thing to do is spend quality family time with her partner and her 5-year-old son. Together they enjoy hiking and camping, especially in Courtney's favorite travel destination, Sisters OR. Specialties: Ages 4–18	Dana Dana Close Title: Instructor Dana grew up in Northern California and started competitive swimming at age 7, when her parents realized her desire to always “be first” needed to be channeled in a more positive direction. Swimming took her through school, national and international meets, and gave her her first chance to teach children to swim. From the age of 11 she found joy in watching a child’s smiles (and tears) as they recognize their ability to swim. Following college, Dana’s career in the biotech/biomedical field led her away from the pool (although the smell of chlorine always made her look for one). The next 20+ years were spent working and traveling while still finding time to volunteer with children (and animals). Now, living in Portland, she is excited to have found Farber Swim School. Dana feels honored and blessed to be given an opportunity to, once again, participate in teaching the thing she feels so passionate about: swimming. She is also training again to, hopefully, compete in future open water swims and triathlons. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Adults, Team-level FSS Employee since: September 2018

Deanna Deanna Close Title: Instructor Deanna grew up in Wisconsin, where she was a competitive swimmer, lifeguard, swimming instructor. She received her PADI Diving certification at 16. At the University of Oregon she continued her love of water sports by participating in Crew (team rowing) and worked as a PADI Divemaster. During her time at college she worked as a swimming instructor, lifeguard instructor, and CPR/First Aid Instructor. She graduated with a degree in History and a minor in Women’s Studies. These days you can find Deanna volunteering at her kids' school as the PTO Fundraising Chair, or at C.A.T. with her oldest son as a cat cuddler to help the kitties become more adoptable. Deanna has a love of fitness and nutrition, as she is also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. Swimming was her first form of fitness and has had a lifelong impact, so teaching others to swim is a way of giving back that same sense of possibility. Deanna also enjoys traveling with her husband and two boys, eating great food, cooking new recipes, and loving on her chocolate lab and two kitties. Specialties: Ages 3–18, Adults, Babies, Littles FSS Employee since: September 2018	Diane Diane Close Title: Office Assistant / Instructor Diane grew up swimming, sailing, and ice skating, in Mountain Lakes, NJ which has five lakes, but not a single mountain. While lakes are lovely, she much prefers swimming in pools where there are no water snakes or snapping turtles. After high school, Diane came to Oregon to climb real mountains and to study English at Reed College and later worked as a computer programmer for Fred Meyer, a secretary at a genetics institute in Germany, and as a high school and college English instructor in Ohio. These days Diane lives Southwest Portland with her husband, three teenagers, one dog, and three cats, and can often be found at her daughters’ softball games, her son’s theater productions, or on the trails in Forest Park. Diane is thrilled to be a part of the Farber Swim Family because she loves to help people learn and feels privileged to be able to teach swimming. Just learning how to move your body in water is magical, but learning to swim is also about learning to trust: your teacher, the water, and most of all, yourself. If you can learn to swim, you can learn just about anything! Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Adults, Fears FSS employee since: May 2017	Doug Doug Close Title: Instructor Doug, 58, is a life-long swimmer who began competing at age 6 (along with his four swimmer siblings) in various pools of New Jersey and Missouri, where he was raised. Doug attended the University of Missouri as an Athlete Scholar, which took him to the 1980 Pan American games in Mexico City! A shoulder injury ended his competitive career and opened the door for his move to Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1981 with a BS in Psychology. Douglas rejoined the competitive field, joining the U.S. Masters Swimming association to swim for the Multnomah Athletic Club, where he swims daily. Retired from his career as an occupational safety officer for the Oregonian Publishing Co., Doug became certified through USMS as an Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor. Doug lives in Raleigh Hills with his wife, Bridget. Doug also enjoys kayaking, golf, skiing, and traveling, which often takes him to Long Beach, CA to visit his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. Specialties: Ages 4–18, Adults, Team-level FSS employee since: April 2016	Isabella Isabella Close Title: Instructor Isabella started swimming young for fun with her large extended family, and gained competence at an early age so she could keep up with her bigger cousins! As a teenager Isabella started working with kids in childcare and discovered a passion for spending time with them and helping them grow. She has worked with kids, in one way or another, for over 4 years now. Isabella is delighted to be teaching at Farber and help create the next generation of swimmers. The best part of teaching is seeing that moment when a new skill "clicks," and how excited kids get about it! Isabella's favorite stroke is breaststroke, but her favorite thing to do in the pool is dolphin kick. When she isn’t teaching at Farber or attending classes, Isabella can often be found at a nearby dog park with her dogs, getting involved in a choir or theater, or learning a new sport or art hobby. Specialties: 4–18 years Additional languages: Spanish (basic)	Jessie Jessie Close Title: Instructor Jessica was born in San Francisco and lived all over the West Coast during her childhood. She grew up swimming and exploring the Pacific Ocean. After moving to Oregon, she swam competitively for six years with the Hillsboro HEAT swim team and later the Hillsboro High School team. Her life-long passion for the ocean has led her to teaching, with the ultimate goal of helping others have safe and fun experiences in the pool and under the sea. Jessie is currently earning a college degree in environmental science and ecology, which she loves to incorporate into her lessons by sharing water science facts with her students. Jessie loves kids and has worked with them since her teen years; she currently nannies her 2-year-old nephew part-time. At college, Jessie has taken courses in communications and child psychology, expanding her understanding of how diverse the learning process is. Everyone is different and learns in their own unique way, and Jessie loves finding out how each of her students learns best. Nothing is more fun than watching students learn and grow! When she's not at school or in the pool, Jessie spends her time taking photographs, creating music, camping/hiking/kayaking, and hanging out with her cat Chi and her dog Penny. (Penny likes to help with the hiking.) Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Adults, Fears Additional languages: basic Spanish FSS Employee since November 2017

Kalino Kalino Close Title: Instructor Kalino moved from Juneau, Alaska to Oregon 3 years ago and fell in love quickly with the Pacific Northwest. Kalino loves being around and in water and it shows. He started swimming at age 1 and was on a competitive swim team for 6 years in middle school and high school. His favorite stroke to compete in was the freestyle. He has been a lifeguard for 5 years and taught lessons for 2 years. For fun Kalino loves to cook, listen to music and enjoy the great outdoors! Specialties: Ages 4–18, Team-level (pending)	Kyleen Kyleen Close Title: Swim Instructor Kyleen was born in Walla Walla, WA and has lived in Oregon almost her whole life. Swimming is a lifelong passion and she loves sharing that with her students! She completed her Water Safety Instructor training through the American Red Cross in 2018 and has been teaching ever since. At Tigard High she was on the swim team for three years and now takes swim courses regularly at PCC. She co-teachers adults at PCC and teaches kids lessons for Tigard Tualatin Aquatic District. Working with children has been a part of her life since her teen years, when she was a frequent babysitter and helped out at a daycare center. Helping kids feel safe and make progress while laughing and having a good time is her main goal in lessons. Outside of the pool, she is a full-time student at PCC soon to transfer to PSU. Outside of swimming, her main passions are music and reading anything she can get her hands on! Specialties: 4–18 years, (Adults pending) FSS Employee since: Jan 2019	Liz Liz Close Title: Instructor & Office Assistant Liz competed on her high school swim and dive team, and qualified for state several times. From there it was natural for her to start teaching swim lessons at her local pool. Liz has worked with children since 2011, mainly as a swim instructor. After high school pool Liz worked with the Muckleshoot tribe in WA where she got to do everything from lessons to pool maintenance and much more. Recently Liz moved here to Portland to study English lit and Psychology. Liz has worked other kinds of jobs but the water keeps calling her back. Sharing her knowledge of swimming with those lovable balls of energy called kids makes her feel great! She says "there's nothing quite like that moment when a child realizes that they can do it and then DOES IT!" Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18	Luke Luke Close Title: Swim Instructor Luke had his first swim lesson at 6 months and has been swimming ever since! He has always felt at home in the water and was on a competitive swim team from age 6 to 13. Luke is passionate about teaching, and got his Master's degree in Instructional Design from Western Illinois University. Currently he works in the field of mechanical design at an amazing company in Wilsonville. Born in Clinton, Iowa, Luke spent most of his life in the Hawkeye state until relocating to Beaverton, Oregon in the summer of 2018. He lives here with his lovely wife and their two adorable cats and is feeling more at home every day. He is happy and excited to be back in the water on a regular basis! Specialties: Ages 4–18 FSS Employee since: November 2018	Meghan Meghan Close Title: Instructor Meghan grew up in Montague, CA, where she took swimming lessons as a young child and fell in love with the water. As a young adult Meghan worked as a teaching assistant for a special class for transfer students at CSU Sacramento. After moving to Oregon, she again got the chance to work with kids at THPRD. Meghan admires kids' determination and courage, and finds their unique points of view fascinating to discover. Their excitement and joy is contagious, and Meghan loves to make them laugh and to celebrate their successes with them! Meghan is currently pursuing a degree in Social Science and English at PSU, after which she plans to get a Master's in education toward a career teaching middle school. Her favorite swimming stroke is the Breaststroke. In her free time, Meghan loves visiting the beach and mountains. Favorite hobbies include hiking, camping, karaoke, slam poetry, and cuddling her kitty, Midnight Monster. Specialties: 4–18yrs, Littles (pending) Additional languages: ASL (conversational)

Mutile (Momo) - Pee Wees Coach Mutile (Momo) Close Title: Instructor & Pee Wees Coach Mutile (Momo) discovered her love for swimming as a toddler learning to swim with her parents in Washington, DC. She eventually moved to Seattle where she participated in recreational lessons throughout her childhood and swam competitively for a brief time while she went to boarding school in Kenya. Her love for swimming grew when she became an instructor at the YMCA in Newcastle, WA where she taught all levels and was a lifeguard for over 4 years. After that, she worked briefly as an instructor and lifeguard for Rainier Beach Community Center in Seattle before becoming a medical assistant and working at a clinic for 2 years. Momo recently moved to Portland to continue her education in nursing and looks forward to spreading her love of swimming to all her students. In her free time, she reads books, watches movies, cooks, and visits her family and friends in Seattle. Specialties: Ages 3–18, Adults, Team-level FSS Employee since November 2017	Sophie Sophie Close Title: Instructor Sophie was born and raised in the UK and lived most recently in Germany for 9 years. She moved to Oregon a year ago, and is enjoying this new adventure! Sophie first swam as a toddler and has been a passionate swimmer ever since. She completed lifeguard training courses in the UK and in Germany, where she swam competitively for 4 years at a private club. Soon after moving to Oregon, she joined another swim team and is currently competing for Sunset High School. Working with children is another of Sophie's callings, and she has many years' experience volunteering at a kindergarten, babysitting for multiple other families, and taking care of her 4-year-old sister. Kids are so wonderfully curious and eager to learn—just like Sophie herself, who enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures. She loves helping children progress from stepping-stone to stepping-stone and then seeing their faces light up when they reach their goal. Sophie always wants to get kids laughing, and believes that fun and play are integral to a child's learning process. Other than the pool, Sophie's favorite place to be is somewhere comfortable with a book. Specialties: ages 4–18 FSS Employee since: February 2018 Additional languages: German (fluent) & Spanish (basic)	Tanya Tanya Close Title: Instructor Tanya was born and raised near the sandy beaches of California. She has been swimming for as long as she can remember, and started competing at the age of 12 with the Mako Sharks Swim Team. As a teen, Tanya was nearly recruited to participate in the Junior Olympics. At 18, Tanya took up a Lifguarding position at a rec center in Los Gatos, California. It was then that Tanya decided she wanted to share her passion for swimming others, and she began teaching swim lessons. Tanya now lives in Beaverton with her three cats, and in 2018 she encountered snow for the first time! In her free time she seeks adventure with biking, hiking, rock climbing, and dancing. Tanya is honored to be a part of the FSS team, and she looks forward to building confidence, safety, and trust within her students. Specialties: ages 4–18	Thaly Thaly Close Title: Instructor & Pee Wee Coach Thaly ("Taw-LEE") has been involved in swimming from the age of nine. He swam on various clubs throughout his youth, in addition to being part of the Tualatin High School swim team. In the 10 years since then, Thaly has continued learning about fitness and exercise science. He is influenced very much by George Hebert and Ido Portal, two physical educators who developed their own systems of education. The former developed a system known as Natural Method; the latter created a philosophy that emphasizes movements that work the body as a whole. As an instructor, Thaly is excited to help his students become water-safe and learn essential skills, while at the same time fostering an attitude of sheer enjoyment, playfulness, and freedom that comes from being in the water. He is especially excited to coach the FSS Swim Team, the Pee Wee Penguins! GO PEE WEES! Specialties: Ages 3–18, Adults, Team-level FSS Instructor since: May 2018	Teresa Teresa Close Title: Instructor / Office Assistant Teresa started swim lessons when she was just 3 years old, and has been a water-lover ever since! Born and raised in California, Teresa had plenty of opportunities to hone her swimming skills growing up. Her favorite swim stroke is Breaststroke. Teresa has worked with children and infants since her teen years, and loves how honest and curious they are. Children exemplify the best parts of humanity in its purest form. As an adult it is beautiful to see and, at times, humbling. It brings her joy when her little students say they're happy to see her, or when she tells them it's free time and their faces light up like she handed them a million dollars. Teresa has a passion for language and communication; at the University of Nevada, Reno she earned her B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). For TESOL she worked extensively in child development with elementary school children. Teresa also attended the University of San Francisco for graduate school. In her down time, Teresa reads extensively and watches YouTube to unwind. She also enjoys being civically engaged, attending and participating in local neighborhood association committee meetings, Beaverton Diversity Advisory Board meeting, Beaverton Organizational Leadership and Development seminars. Currently she is part of Beaverton Citizens Academy. Teresa finds it enriching to help people in her community, such as the next generation of swimmers here at FSS as she helps them learn and build swimming/pool safety skills. Specialties: Babies, Littles, Ages 3–18, Fears, Adults FSS employee since: June 2018
	Zoe Zoe Close Title: Instructor Zoe grew up in San Francisco, where she learned to swim and surf at a young age. Later she swam competitively for a total of 7 years: 2 on her high school team plus 5 on the private local team (Go Waterdevils!). She also spent a year in high school playing waterpolo. Her favorite swim stroke is butterfly. Zoe has been a lifeguard for over 6 years and has been working with kids since she was one herself! She loves watching young swimmers discover the joy of swimming, especially if they are conquering a fear or making progress through challenging skills. She loves the freedom that private teaching give her to really focus on her students as individuals, learning to see life through their eyes and find creative solutions to whatever specific challenges they face. In her free time, Zoe enjoys exploring the great outdoors. She absolutely loves all the beautiful hikes the west coast has to offer! She spent 2 years living in New Zealand, so that has become a favorite travel destination. Zoe also loves to read and to paint, and has recently added a little black kitten named Felix to her fuzzy family along with her bunny, Ace. Specialties: Ages 4–18 Additional languages: ASL (basic)	Kat Kat Close Title: Instructor Kat was a water-baby at just a few months old, and growing up on the West coast helped her fall in love with the beach and with swimming. At 8 years she moved to Arizona where she swam whenever possible at her relatives' house. It was in Arizona that she joined her first swim team and also tried out synchronized swimming one summer! Her favorite swim stroke is the breaststroke. Kat has been working with children for years, first as a regular babysitter and later when she completed Child Development classes and helped teach at a Pre-School. In 2016 her family moved back to Oregon. Now as a teacher at Farber Swim School, she is excited to combine two things she absolutely loves: helping kids and swimming! When Kat isn't swimming or at the beach, she can be found using her creative side! She cooks and bakes for her family, always trying new dishes. A crafter, she has recently discovered a passion for chalk portraiture. Finishing her day, Kat cuddles her dog Muffin and reads a good book. Currently she has been doing lots of studying for school and is applying to train as a Douala. One of the most rewarding things Kat has experienced is to be with people during the most special moments life has to offer, supporting them and helping them make the best memories of their lives! Specialties: Babies & Littles (pending); Ages 3–18	Andie Andie Close Title: Swim Instructor Andie grew up swimming in the warm waters of Puerto Rico, and began taking formal swim lessons at age 7. When she was 13, her family moved to Alaska where she became an academic leader in high school, active in student government. As a young adult Andie worked as a YMCA swim instructor for 3 years, teaching swimmers of all ages and abilities. Most recently she worked as a Youth Field Leader for Northwest Youth Corp, where she led large groups of children aged 6-19 years. In both these teaching positions Andie worked extensively with children with additional needs such as Asperger’s, ADHD, and nonverbal autism. Andie believes that everyone can and should learn to swim, and is passionate about making water safety fun! Children are amazing to work with, so surprising and imaginative, and Andie loves seeing how they grow and learn in their own individual ways. The most rewarding thing about teaching is seeing her students light up when they make a breakthrough, especially if they are working to overcome a fear. Andie’s favorite way to swim is with a dolphin kick -- adding butterfly arms IF she’s had enough coffee! A recent transplant to Portland, Andie plans for a future career in nature conservation and community outreach. Andie loves hiking and camping; in fact if she had her way, she would live in the woods and never leave! She also tries to do something creative every day, such as painting or playing her ukulele. Exploring new and wild places is another favorite pastime. She has already been to the Alaskan tundra, and someday she hopes to go even further; to the North Pole perhaps, or even outer space! Specialties: Babies & Littles (pending), Ages 4-18, Adults, Additional Needs (pending) Additional languages: Spanish (fluent)

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Marisa (sub)

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Owners

Managers

Administrative Staff

Instructors