About GainContact
GainContact provides the tools, skills and resources to improve target lifestyle areas. Acting as an umbrella organization, Gain Contact Group is committed to developing the knowledge, competencies, and insights of individuals and organizations through learning solutions that promote global mindsets, personal development and educational fulfillment.
What’s in a name?
The word “GAIN” represents the concept of attainment and achievement, usually spurred by a desire to improve or advance know-how including a given skill, knowledge base, or competency area. On a daily basis, our human nature gives us the drive to constantly enhance what we have or know by moving in a forward direction towards improvement through increased knowledge and awareness as well as optimal resource utilization to achieve desired goal.
It is this understanding that led to the creation of Gain Contact, a company committed to providing the tools, skills and resources to spur the development of a given lifestyle area.
Acting as an umbrella organization, Gain Contact Group is committed to furthering the knowledge, competencies, and insights of individuals and organizations by expanding global alliances, enriching interactions and creating lucrative networks.
To this effect, each subsidiary brand will retain the word GAIN representing: Global, Alliances, Interactions, and Networks.
We are dedicated to delivering Spanish, Italian, French and Arabic language and cultural programs that build upon existing skills while enriching knowledge and competency to increase fluency and ease of communication.
Mission:
Gain Ville is an educational and cultural network providing customized learning opportunities to students of all ages and abilities.
Vision:
Our aim is to enrich lives, expand scholarship, and inspire enlightened global citizens.
Instructors
Nieve, Spanish Instructor
Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Nieve is a bilingual Spanish K-12 and beginner adult Spanish teacher. She has been in New Jersey for 14 years, 5 of which have spent teaching at GainVille. Nieve graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from New Jersey City University. After completion of a child development track, Nieve chose Gain Ville to complete her Spanish teacher training component upon which she then joined the ranks of Spanish teachers at GainVille. Nieve’s background in child psychology coupled with her daycare experience both equip her with an advantage in engaging young middle school students while making learning Spanish fun.
Yessenia, Spanish InstructorOriginally, from Lima, Peru, Yessenia graduated in May 2019 from Rutgers University with a major in Spanish and a minor in Psychology. Upon graduation, she pursued her Masters degree in Applied Linguistics. Yessenia joined the Gain Ville team during Summer 2022 teaching Spanish immersion to children PreK-12 as well as Beginner Adult. Previously, she taught Spanish to speakers of other languages at the European University of the Atlantic in Barcelona, Spain. Indelibly, Yessenia loves teaching Espanol and tries to bring much of her culture into the classroom. In her spare time, Yessenia enjoys spending time with her family and her cat. She also enjoys making churros (yummy!), watching Disney movies with her family and dancing.
Lilliana Jimenez, Spanish Instructor
Born in New York City and raised in Cali, Colombia, Lili has been back in the United States since 1999; living in between New York City and Rutherford, NJ. Lilliana graduated from ICESI University in Colombia with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Marketing. Lilliana joined the ranks of Spanish teachers at Gain Ville during Spring 2024. Since 2020, she has been showcasing her passion for the arts by providing Art classes to kids ages 5-15 from her home art studio. During her spare time Lilliana enjoys spending time with her family, painting, exercising and cooking Colombian food.
Reyna Malave, Spanish Instructor
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised between New York City and New Jersey, Reyna has been able to call the Garden State her home since 1997. After completing her high school education, Reyna attended court reporting school with a specialty in providing captions for students who are deaf and hard of hearing in Bergen County and neighboring higher education institutions, such as Columbia University and New York University, among others.
Since 2021, Reyna has been helping students who have been marginalized by providing captions at the collegiate level and teaching at Bergen Community College. During Spring 2024, Reyna joined the ranks of Gain Ville teachers as a Spanish instructor. Reyna has an undergraduate degree from Montclair State University, with a major in Family Science and Human Development, as well as a masters degree in higher education with an emphasis on accessibility. During her spare time Reyna loves cooking, traveling and going on hiking trips with friends and family.
Joni, Italian & Spanish Instructor
Joni was born in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Throughout her childhood, Joni’s travels with her seafaring father allowed her to live all over, including 7 years in Malta as well as a few places around the world equipping her with the skill of conversing in diverse languages. Joni is fluent in six foreign languages. At the age of 18, Joni moved to the U.S. and obtained a Bachelors degree in Italian and a Masters degree from Rutgers University with a concentration in teaching Italian. At Gain Ville, Joni teaches Italian Spanish to children and adults.
Janice, Spanish Instructor
Janice is originally from Lima, Peru and moved to the United States at 10 years of age. Janice is a native Spanish speaker and has been living in New Jersey for about 27 years. Having tutored both kids and adults, Janice also has a background in special education including counseling experience with students from kindergarten through high school.
At Gain Ville, Janice teaches Pre-K I and II Spanish classes. This provides her with a great base to better understand and engage with students of all ages. Janice graduated with a bachelors degree in Sociology from Montclair State University and possesses a Master’s in Social Work. Her knowledge and skills as a full time public school Social Worker helps provide a setting for teaching the Spanish language.
Alice, French Instructor
Alice is originally from the South of France. As a seasoned teacher, she is eager to instill the love of the French language to both children and adults, allowing her to adhere to the Gain Ville curriculum with passion. She is able to use differentiated learning in a small classroom environment, that enables her students to flourish while imbuing them with a francophone culture. Ms Alice has a Bachelors Degree in Communication and Marketing and a long tenure teaching grade PK -12 students of all backgrounds and levels.
Naomie, French Instructor
Naomie was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she studied Art History and Archeology. She graduated from St. Peter’s College with a BA in Education (Interdisciplinary). As a francophone, Naomie has been working as a certified French teacher in the East Orange School District since 2008. Being an enthusiastic educator, Naomie is enamored with her role as a French teacher at Gain Ville where she teaches students both one-on-one and in groups.
Kouider, French Instructor
Kouider is originally from the city of Oran, West of Algeria. He is a Native French speaker, and possesses a high education degree with a love and passion for teaching the French language in an adult setting. He brings with him knowledge that builds on the foundations necessary to interact in French, including speaking, pronunciation, while building on grammar and vocabulary.
Mr. Kouider received his master’s degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. He worked in the past for the Kerfott Guidance and Navigation company, using his technical and language skills. He loves to listen to music without borders ,cooking international plates like paella, couscous, and working in the garden.
Kouider’s goal is to instill the love for, and empower students to master the French language.
Roberta, Italian Instructor
Roberta Scortechini was born and raised in Italy. After graduating from the University of Perugia with a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature, she taught as an elementary teacher in the Italian public school system for a decade, before moving to the U.S. She has been teaching Italian on several university campuses in NJ, including Montclair State University for over half-a-decade. She regularly participates in professional development workshops and collaborates with various entities as a translator.
Antonia, Italian Instructor
Antonia grew up in Napoli, Italy and graduated in July 2007 from the University Federico II di Napoli with a major in Sociology and minor in Communications and Mass Media. After graduation, she had many jobs as a teacher in the public and private school sector in Italy until she decided to move to the USA in 2010 where she started working in New Jersey as a teacher aide and later as an Italian teacher at GainVille Learning Center.
Paola, Italian Instructor
Paola graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in Secondary Education and Italian major and English minor. Originally, from Italy, she has taught Italian and English for approx. 20 years to children and adults of all ages and ability levels. Paola enjoys family vacations at their original home-town in south Italy, Calabria, P. Cosenza. Alongside teaching Italian in Parsippany district schools, she specializes in teaching Italian at GainVille. Paola enjoys teaching language acquisition and cultural studies. Favorite hobbies include writing short stories for children with drawing illustrations and traditional Italian baking.
Roula, Arabic Instructor
Roula was born in Syria and is classically trained and fluent in versatile Levantine Arabic. At Gain Ville, she teaches Arabic to both adults and children at different levels. Her proclivity and tolerance towards all encompassing Arabic culture and art is both extensive and impressive. Roula first had her training back home where she taught teachers and was responsible for their training within within a teaching academy environment over 3 years before she moved to the U.S. with her husband and started a family circa 1999.
Annie, Arabic Instructor
Annie was born in Syria and got her bachelor’s degree from Aleppo University in English Literature and Arts. She has taught seven years in public and private elementary and secondary schools, before she moved to the states in 2011. At Gain Ville, Annie provides Arabic Language instruction on an individual and semi-private basis as well as to groups.
Joanne, ESL Instructor
Joanne is a highly effective communicator who in a parallel life, reported in-depth community and government news, in television and radio newsrooms in New Jersey and New York. She has extensive experience interviewing a wide range of people, from “the person on the street” to sitting Governors, U.S. Senators, best selling authors and celebrities. Joanne’s story telling ability has been recognized with numerous local, state and national awards, including a NY Emmy nomination.
Anne, ESL Instructor
Since 2018, Anne has taught ESL Summer Camp, Intermediate and Advanced ESL, as well as SAT and TOEFL classes at Gain Ville. Her prior teaching experience includes English & ESL to grades 6-12 in North Arlington, NJ and Miami, FL as well as an Adjunct English/ESL Instructor at Miami-Dade Community College and Montclair State University.
Ms. Anne holds a B.A. in French, Spanish, ESL from Montclair State with study abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris. She obtained a Master’s degree in English Literature at Barry Universit and a Masters of Science degree in Management at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Harry, ESL Instructor
Harry was born and raised in New Jersey. Born as Hareton after a character in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, “Harry” is a native English speaker and fluent in Spanish. A graduate of New Jersey City University, Harry has over 14 years of experience instructing ESL from high school (through a GED New York City Program) through university level. At Gain Ville, Harry instructs part-time evening ESL intensive classes.
Team
Nora, Ed.D, Co-Founder & Executive Director
Nora’s background and professional experience complement Gain contact’s holistic approach to linking lifestyles and learning. Leveraging more than 30 years of experience in the field of human development and psychology, Nora also provides skills training and workforce development to promote individual growth and effect organizational transformation in global corporations. Nora earned her doctorate and master’s degree in psychology at Columbia University and also holds a master’s degree in Education as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American University of Beirut.
Diala, MBA, Co-Founder & Managing Director
Overseas internal and external partnerships, online and offline brand presence, research and development efforts and technology strategy for the company and its subsidiary brands. Brings 20+ years of experience in business development, sales, marketing, technology, and product/program development. Diala holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Babson College and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a minor in French Studies from Syracuse University. Diala is also a 2015 graduate of the Small Business Administration Emerging Leaders program and the Entrepreneurship Pioneers Initiative at Rutgers Business School. During her spare time, Diala spends her time enjoying the outdoors with her friends and family.
Hannibal, Manager, Multimedia & Marketing
Experienced in marketing campaigns utilizing production tools used in interactive television and broadcast, print and online media. Ability to conceive, write and put together a wide range of image campaigns, on-air promotional spots and short-form programming.Specialty areas include strategic marketing, advertising and publicity; Web site analysis, production and enhancement. Hannibal holds an M.F.A. from Columbia University.
Janet, Financial/HR Coordinator
Janet is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP CD) in the United States and Canada and a member of the Association for Financial Professionals. She graduated from Ramapo College of NJ and HoHoKus Hackensack School of Business. Janet provides billing and account reconciliations, while ensuring that the company’s financial data records are maintained in online financial systems. Janet also provides client account support by communicating receipts for all transactions, as well as inputting time keeping records for staff and instructors.
Agnese, Program Coordinator and Instructor
Agnese is trilingual in Italian, Spanish and English. Born and raised in Italy and a graduate from the University of Perugia, she was able to deepen her passion for the Spanish language and culture while attending the University of Philology in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. A firm believer in the importance of Second Language Acquisition and the power of a bilingual world, Agnese’s primary role at Gain Ville is as a Program Coordinator. Agnese also occupies the role of a language instructor teaching a selection of Italian and Spanish classes to children and adults. During her leisure time, Agnese likes to read books and go for long walks.
Students
A successful GainVille Student:
- Continues to seek cultural opportunities as a lifelong learner.
- Embraces diverse cultures with sensitivity and understanding.
- Shares with others their acquired linguistic talents and abilities.
- Works both independently and within a time framework.
- Exhibits social responsibilities as a global citizen.
- Appreciates the attitude of an inquisitive mind.
- Recognizes the impact of education in creating future possibilities.
- Develops critical thinking skills to digest information.
- Champions the transformational role of technology to enhance learning.
- Manifests a higher level of emotional intelligence across areas of their lives.
Values
We believe that:
- Education is a powerful lifelong journey.
- Fostering a global mindset is vital to intercultural understanding.
- Diversity strengthens communities and promotes acceptance for other cultures.
- Relationships create opportunities for social impact and global citizenship.
- Challenges are opportunities for self-discovery.
- Every human being has untapped potential to learn and grow.
- Every individual is a unique contributor to the global community.
- Every student deserves an exemplary educational experience.
- Every community member is worthy of appreciation and respect.
Our Mission
GainVille is an educational and cultural network providing customized learning opportunities to students of all ages and abilities. Our aim is to enrich lives, expand scholarship, and inspire enlightened global citizens.
Brands
- Gain Ville programs include language immersion and cultural programs for children, youth and adults, provided in French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, English, and Arabic.
- Gain Learning end-to-end educational services include assessments, placement and learner support spanning systematic assessment of learning needs to educational placement at colleges, universities, English Language programs, boarding schools and summer enrichment camps. Our learner support services specifically include home away from home coaching, evaluation and support as well as crisis intervention and management.
- Gain Self educational solutions promote the attainment of personal and professional success through seminars, workshops and retreats, delivered in group sessions, as well as customized one-on-one coaching services.
Company Background
Gain Contact Group’s major fields of operation are education, training and consulting. Education activities include global education, foreign languages, ESL, private tutoring, college placement, homework help and educational assessment. Training activities include workshops, cultural competence, and professional networking. Consulting activities include educational institutions and business consulting.
At Gain Contact we embrace a process called lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is a broad concept that focuses on the ongoing acquisition of knowledge or skills. It occurs where education is flexible, diverse and available at different times and places and is pursued throughout life. It is a continuum of the learning process that takes place at all levels – formal, non-formal and informal – utilizing various modalities such as distance learning and conventional learning. The idea is that learning can and does occur beyond the formal structure of an educational institution and occurs throughout one’s lifetime.
The concept of lifelong learning has been adopted by most developed and developing nations across the globe given the scale of current economic and social change and the rapid transition to a knowledge-based society. These along with the demographic pressures resulting from an ageing population in the Western hemisphere are all challenges which demand a new approach to education and training, within the framework of lifelong learning.
In the context of these challenges, lifelong learning is given a high priority at Gain Contact where it is defined as encompassing all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence, within a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective.
We truly embrace the notion of “If there’s a will, there’s a way” and adopt this concept within our GAIN company mantra. We believe that attainment and achievement, is usually spurred by a desire to improve and advance know-how within a given skill, knowledge base, or competency area. By employing proactive strategies, we aim to leverage expertise, skill and need across countries, markets and cultures. Our mission is to create an interconnected knowledge base; a lifestyles and learning destination experience that can maximize potential for success for any individual or organization.
Discover our Gain Contact Group US brands GAIN BRIDGES | GAIN CONTACT | GAIN LEARNING | GAIN VILLE
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