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Julia Beatriz Camargo - High School Science Teacher
Julia has worked at Graded as a laboratory assistant for the past three years. She earned a bachelor's degree in marine biology and coastal management from the São Paulo State University (UNESP) and a Master of Science in biological oceanography from the University of São Paulo (USP), with a focus on ocean pollution and contamination. While in college, she served as a volunteer rescuing wildlife animals. Julia is passionate about Brazilian culture and traveling. When not working in the lab, she likes to spend her time dancing, practicing capoeira, watching movies, and crocheting.
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Silvana Gili - Lower School Grade 1 Teacher
Silvana is returning to Graded after having spent many years pursuing different adventures. One of her greatest passions has always been children's literature. A decade ago, she became a researcher to learn more about the language of picture books and what makes them so interesting to young (and not-so-young) readers. Silvana earned her PhD in literature from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianópolis, where she lived for eight years. She also holds a BA in English language and literature and an MA in international education from Framingham State University in Massachusetts. Silvana has always been interested in learning languages, and while living in Barcelona and Madrid, she had the opportunity to learn more about her Spanish roots. Silvana loves both the ocean and reading, so a day spent at the beach with a good book is her idea of bliss.
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Melody McCambridge - Lower School Grade 2 Teacher
Melody is currently a second grade teacher at Alexandria Country Day School in Alexandria, Virginia. She has spent the last 13 years teaching children of all ages in public, independent, and international schools. Melody earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees in the United States. Because Melody's husband works for the US Foreign Service, Brazil will be her fifth country of residence. She will be coming to Brazil with her husband Kieran, son Liam, daughter Ana, and Goldendoodle Elvis. Due to her recent three-year stay in Botswana, she has cultivated a love and respect for nature. She enjoys going on nature safaris, connecting with her local community, running, reading, cooking, and meeting new people.
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Ann Neill - Lower School Counselor
Annie, the daughter of two educators, has joyously worked as the elementary school counselor at Taipei American School and is currently at the International School of Dakar. Before working abroad, Annie worked in boarding schools as dean of students and director of student activities and service-learning, among other roles. She also has experience working as a clinical social worker in residential treatment facilities. Annie earned her BA in human development from Connecticut College and her MSW in group work from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. Annie is married to college counselor Jeff Neill, and they have two lively children: Chase and Stella. Annie is excited to explore São Paulo, but she is really eager to push through the city's perimeter and check out the trails and outdoor spaces.
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Jeffrey Neill - Director of College Counseling, Head of Department
In 2021-22, Jeff will begin his twenty-first year in education, having spent his career among six schools on four continents. He has recently spent time at the International School of Dakar in Senegal and Taipei American School in Taiwan after working at three boarding schools in the US. As a professional, while he has experience across all areas of school life, Jeff has focused primarily on his love of working with students on the university search process. Active in the international school community, Jeff presents, consults, and mentors regularly across the globe. This year, Jeff will complete his EdD from Northeastern University. He has an MA in English from Middlebury College and a BA in government and German from Bowdoin College. A product of independent schools, Jeff is a proud alumnus of Northfield Mount Hermon. He is married to elementary school counselor Ann Neill, and they have two children, Stella and Chase. In addition to being an avid reader, film buff, and sports fan, Jeff loves to spend time with his family, especially outdoors and traveling.
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Joseph Pomainville, High School Counselor
Joseph Pomainville has been teaching and counseling internationally for the past eight years. He will join Graded after serving as the head of counseling and learning support at the North London Collegiate School on Jeju Island in South Korea. Joseph has worked in New York, Alaska's Arctic Circle, Dubai, and South Korea. He graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY, with teaching and counseling degrees and is now in his (hopefully) final year of a doctoral program in educational leadership. When Joseph is not counseling or teaching, he enjoys coaching girls and boys volleyball, girls soccer, girls and boys track and field, among other sports, which he has done over the past 12 seasons. He also enjoys exercising, hiking, and playing ultimate frisbee and Quidditch.
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Janan Sabeh, Director of College Counseling
Janan is the daughter of a former international student from Syria, which inspired her decision to study abroad in Egypt as an undergraduate. Her semester abroad turned into a year, and eventually, a job assisting other American students do the same. After graduating from the University of San Francisco with a BA in politics, she returned to Egypt to continue studying Arabic. There, she discovered the world of college counseling. She began her career as an EducationUSA advisor in Egypt, where she crisscrossed the country, assisting students applying to undergraduate and graduate programs in the US. After six years in Egypt, she moved to Jordan and joined the university counseling team at King's Academy, a liberal arts boarding school with students from more than forty countries. Janan returned home to California five years later to work as the director of college counseling at Khan Lab School. She counseled the school's first graduating class and worked with the Mastery Transcript Consortium to develop a mastery transcript for the school. In addition to working with Graded students, Janan looks forward to learning Portuguese and exploring a different part of the world. When she is not walking or cuddling her dog, you can find Janan reading the news, traveling, and hiking -- most likely with a cup of coffee in her hand.
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Jennifer White - Lower School Grade 4 Teacher
Jennifer is crossing the Equator to begin her eighteenth year of teaching. This move to the Southern Hemisphere is quite a departure from eight previous years spent in Korea, China, and Japan. Before moving abroad, her first nine years as a teacher took place in the US, in her home state of Arizona. Jen grew up surrounded by Saguaro cacti and the hot temperatures of the Sonoran Desert. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education from Arizona State University. In addition to teaching grades four and five, she spent her first six years post-university teaching middle school language arts. Jennifer is a desert girl at heart. She loves the sunshine and everything outdoors and can often be found hiking, trail running, traveling, and stand-up paddling. Reading, hitting the gym, and practicing Japanese keep her busy most days after work. From food and culture to the language and vibrant cities, Jen is excited to explore and discover all of the wonderful things Brazil has to offer.
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Natalia Zanivan, Middle School Physical Education Teacher
Last October, Natalia "Nati" Zanivan became a full-time Middle School physical education teacher at Graded. She started her career as an activities leader for school trips before studying physical education at Senac. While Nati was in college, she taught swimming, dance, and gymnastics. Nati was born in São Paulo and learned English by babysitting English-speaking children. Her English skills, teaching experience, PHE studies, and enthusiasm for teaching and learning paved the way for a PHE/swimming internship at Graded. When she's not teaching, Nati follows her passions for dancing, painting, drawing mandalas, and playing rugby.
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