Meet the Instructors
Science Instructor:
Corina Abbott
Corina Abbott is a homeschool mom of 10 and lover of math, science, and Spanish. She has a Bachelor of Science in BioResource Research from Oregon State University and graduated in the Honors College. She learned Spanish during her studies abroad to Chile and Ecuador, and holds a minor in Spanish from OSU. After graduating from OSU, she loved working as a math and Spanish tutor and worked part-time for the OSU Chemistry department as a Chemistry teaching assistant. There she found she loved finding creative ways of explaining challenging concepts, and developing strategies students can use to successfully work through complex problems.
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She and her husband of 25 years met at OSU and were married while he was a graduate student in Physical Chemistry. Since having children, she has focused on home education and living the kid-filled life. Their oldest daughter recently graduated from OSU, their next 3 sons are in college, and she currently homeschools the younger 6.
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Corina is passionate about helping homeschool students be prepared for whatever God may be calling them to pursue, helping them gain a solid academic foundation that will provide them open doors for their future education and pursuits.
Advanced Math Instructor:
Nathan Wilkinson
Nathan Wilkinson has enjoyed learning math and explaining it to others for as long as he can remember. This led him to earn a B.S. in Mathematics Education from Northwest Nazarene University in 2004. Following college, he moved to Dallas, TX where he taught varying levels of high school math at LV Berkner HS in Richardson. After five years in Texas, he was ready to return to his childhood home in the Willamette Valley. For the past fourteen years, he has been living happily ever after with his wife and four children, ages 1 to 11, on the farm where he grew up. His wife homeschools their children while he continues to teach math as a part-time instructor at Lane CC, Linn Benton CC, and Chemeketa CC (yes, he is often teaching classes at all three).
He is excited about the opportunity to partner with homeschool families by sharing his love for math in a small classroom setting using his fun, approachable teaching style. He truly believes that with hard work and dedication anyone can learn and be successful at even the highest levels of mathematics and that training our brains how to logically approach and solve difficult problems is an invaluable life skill regardless of the different paths we each take.
Writing Instructor:
Millie Sweeny
Millie Sweeny grew up loving literature and writing. She is actively involved in the education of her two children, who attend Santiam Christian School, and has a heart for helping students grow in their writing skills. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a Writing minor from Bryan College. She has worked as a writing tutor for a range of clients, from students in beginning writing and literature courses to graduate students, and has written for a variety of online publications.
Her love for the written word is infectious and her goal in teaching is to help students bridge the gap between their thoughts and the page. She believes the ability to give voice to our thoughts is the heartbeat of communication and creates connection between ourselves and our world.
Writing Instructor:
Christine DeVries
Christine has a B.S. in General Science (pre-Physical Therapy) and a minor in Writing and an M.S. in Exercise Science with a minor in Gerontology. She has taught senior fitness classes, tutored in writing, and taught health and PE at LBCC. She then homeschooled her three kids for 16 years and led two homeschool co-ops.
She loves the Windows to the World curriculum, having taught it twice before. Christine has been married to her best friend, Mark, for 30 years and loves animals, books, dancing, sports, and nature.
Spanish Instructor:
Mariana Vazquez
Mariana Vazquez has always been passionate about nutrition, exercise, and helping others live healthy lives. Originally from Mexico City, Mariana now calls Oregon home, where she lives with her husband Darío who works with robots. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science from Mexico (UVM) and a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition from Los Angeles (CSULB).
During her time in Los Angeles, Mariana worked as an Au Pair, teaching and tutoring children in Spanish in a fun and engaging way, while also pursuing her passion for exercise science. She has trained athletes with physical and mental disabilities, worked as an exercise physiologist in cardiac rehabilitation, and most recently volunteered as a strength coach for the West Albany Track & Field team.
She loves movement, whether it’s staying active through running, lifting weights, hiking, or exploring her new love for tennis. Mariana is excited about helping others discover their strength through fitness or learning a new language; and is particularly passionate about inspiring kids to enjoy learning Spanish.
Mariana also hopes to have children and teach them her native language, Español. Nos vemos en clase chicos!