Meet Laura Bray
Founder and instructor, Twin Cities Italian
I grew up in Biella in northwest Italy where I spent my free time hiking in the mountains of Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta. My family later moved to Toscana, where I spend a great deal of time when I go back, exploring the Tuscan coast, visiting the many medieval villages, and enjoying the local traditions.
I did my undergraduate studies in Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Turin and I completed my MA in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota where I taught Italian at the French and Italian Department for 12 years. In addition to teaching I also contributed to curriculum development, designed on-line class material, and conducted Italian proficiency exams. While teaching at the University, I offered classes in community education and gave private instructions.
​Second language acquisition has been my interest and career since I've moved to Minneapolis from Italy. Twin Cities Italian has given me the chance to continue to share my love of Italy with my neighbors in the Twin Cities and elsewhere.
What people say
"My family and I have taken Italian Language lessons with Laura for over a year and it has been wonderful. She was willing to offer weekly “family” lessons for my kiddos (10 and 8 when we started), and my husband and I – something no one else was wiling to do! For me, this was not only convenient but tremendously helpful. I found that being able to do homework with my kids made the learning easier. Mostly for me! (I guess it’s true that kids pick it up faster – my kids still correct me when I say something wrong)
Laura kept our lessons dynamic and very on-point. This kept my kids engaged and interested. She was able to draw on our interests and teach to that. Our lessons often included interactive games, worksheets, flashcards and other media that made our sessions less like ‘school’ and more like spending time with a friend. She is a tremendous wealth of knowledge and is willing to share that with her students..."
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The Castro family
"Twin Cities Italian with Laura has helped me learn and advance in Italian better than any other class or teacher I've had. Laura will teach you at your level, will be encouraging and will take your learning seriously. Laura finds topics, readings and exercises that match my interests, and also keeps lessons interesting and varied. I recommend her very, very highly."
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Catherine
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