Our Mission
Global citizenship through language learning and cultural engagement
Our Vision
Learning without borders
Our story began in Hawaii, where the founders noticed something remarkable happening while working at a summer retreat open to students from Korea and the United States. Over the month-long camp, they witnessed students’ foreign language skills and cultural curiosity bloom rapidly and organically as the campers participated in high-interest experiences that required communication and cooperation. This sparked an idea - could this same level of engagement, enthusiasm, and efficacy be replicated in formal learning environments like schools and academies?
With this question in mind, the founders set out to create a program that could leverage the expertise of a multilingual, multinational teacher team to inspire students of all backgrounds to become global citizens. And so, ChatENG began. Thousands of students, multiple continents, and many languages later, we’re still working to make language learning and cross-cultural education accessible around the world.
After a 25-year career in international finance, Sam co-founded ChatENG Inc., believing that technology can greatly enhance language learning by providing live, contextual access to the target language. He also founded a US non-profit that runs K-6 cultural exchange camps in Hawaii and Seoul, promoting experiential learning. Sam's interest in the intersection of education and technology began while serving on the President’s Advisory Council at Wesleyan University. The Council discussed leveraging technology to widen access to education and enhance teacher-student engagement, which resonated with him. Sam continues to stay connected to finance as an investor and advisor in several early-stage EdTech and AI companies.
Vivian brings extensive educational leadership experience supporting language learners globally across EdTech, public, and private school institutions. She began her professional journey as a Teach for America corps member in Chicago Public Schools, and most recently, during her tenure as Head of Curriculum and Instruction for an EdTech startup, she played a key role in contributing to the company's success and subsequent acquisition by Preply, a leading language learning platform. Vivian is a passionate educator who believes that multilingualism offers students many opportunities. Vivian earned a B.A. from the University of Iowa and an M.S. in Education from Dominican University.
Yuko is a native of Tokyo, Japan with over 15 years of experience in bilingual education. She developed several Japanese language curricula for students ranging from preschool children to corporate professionals. She has extensive experience as a remote educator and is ChatENG's director coordinating language program operations. She has also written articles on bilingual education, authored a Japanese language lesson book, and translated bilingual children's books. Yuko earned a B.F.A. from Joshibi University of Art and Design in Tokyo, Japan and an M.A. from Long Island University.
Jaclyn is the co-founder of ChaENG and an experienced language educator and learning designer focused on finding creative, culturally-responsive solutions to catalyze students’ development in learning languages online. Jaclyn earned an M.Ed. from Harvard University.
Yefei brings deep private sector experience from the U.S. edtech/curriculum landscape. He was a Product Manager at Nearpod the award-winning teaching platform, where he led content development, go-to-market, and product implementation for teachers of English Learners. He has his doctorate and master's in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Our teachers empower us to provide classes that are rigorous, engaging, and effective for all learners.
