About Me
Language and mind are uniquely human faculties — biologically grounded, yet socially and culturally shaped. My work as an English language educator is informed by this dual perspective.
I teach English at TAFE Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. My academic background includes a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from the University of Queensland, along with earlier studies in English Language and Linguistics at the University of Brighton. Originally trained in science, I moved into linguistics to investigate how language influences cognition, identity, and learning across contexts.
As a multilingual speaker of Dutch, Turkish, and English, with additional experience in French, German, and Spanish, I explore how language shapes thought, identity, and human connection. My passion lies in helping people feel seen and heard, especially those who’ve felt misunderstood or displaced in monolingual and monocultural settings.
Beyond instruction, my focus lies in how language can bring people together in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural world. This platform aims to create a space for individuals who feel linguistically or culturally misunderstood—those navigating complex identities shaped by migration, memory, and linguistic hybridity.
Language, in this sense, is not only a cognitive system - it is a means of connection, resistance, and redefinition. This site provides materials and reflections for individuals engaged in language education, cross-cultural communication, and the ongoing pursuit of understanding.
But this work is not solitary. Each of us plays a role in shaping a more inclusive linguistic landscape. Listening without assumptions, questioning monolingual norms, and embracing the discomfort of difference, we can help create environments where people are not asked to choose between languages or identities, but are instead invited to bring their full selves into the conversation.
