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Meet the Team

 

Team at Little Canada

The Brightspark family works diligently to ensure students travel safely and seamlessly with unforgettable itineraries. Committed to helping teachers, and students through each step of the travel process, we make life-changing journeys possible. Our team members band together with different expertise and experiences to contribute to a common goal: deep dedication to each student’s learning and growth. Reach out to us if you would like to connect— we are eager to help you on your next adventure!

Ana Da Costa

Tour Coordinator

Ana’s deep passion for travel serves her well in her position as a Tour Coordinator. Inspired by an educational tour she experienced as a young student, Ana looks forward to providing exciting, life-changing experiences that fuel students’ curiosity and love of exploration.

Aphrodite Kazandjian

Account Manager

Aphrodite’s love for travel began at a very young age—her first trip to Paris happened when she was only 6 months old! It was no surprise, then, that Aphrodite would pursue a career in travel. In her role as an Account Manager, she works to ensure students are given ample opportunities to travel and learn about new cities and cultures.

Bella Antao

Tour Coordinator

Bella joined Explorica as a Tour Director in 2017, leading groups through Québec, Montreal, and Ottawa. In 2022, Bella transitioned to the Operations team as a Tour Coordinator, using her love of travel and experiential learning to customize unforgettable trips for all our travellers.

Bianca Schaetzle

Account Manager

Bianca started her career with Brightspark in 2013 leading tours in some of our most popular destinations. She later transitioned into a Sales Executive role, planning and organizing school meetings for future trips. After a short hiatus, Bianca was warmly welcomed back to the team in 2017 as a Tour Consultant, working closely with many of our school boards across the Greater Toronto Area.

Braeden Gray

Tour Consultant

Braeden’s love for travel was sparked by a high school trip to Europe, marking his first adventure outside of North America. Since then, he has explored over 20 countries across five continents. Now in this role, Braeden is passionate about inspiring the next generation of students to discover the world and build meaningful connections along the way.

Caitlin Scanlon

Tour Consultant

Caitlin started her career with Brightspark in 2016 as a Tour Director. She has had the pleasure of leading tours in some of our most popular and memorable destinations, including Ottawa, Montréal, and New York City. After transitioning into a role as a Tour Consultant, Caitlin continues to show her commitment to bringing travel opportunities to life. She spends most of her time working hand in hand with Ontario school boards to organize excursions and plan unforgettable educational trips!

Carla Pessoa Roy

Senior Account Manager

Carla has worked in educational travel for over 20 years, starting in the industry as a Tour Director. After completing her degree in education while living abroad and teaching English in Asia, Carla decided to return to Canada to begin her career in travel. Her role perfectly blends two of her passions: travel and education. When she’s not customizing tours for her groups, she’s customizing adventures for her three girls.

Claire O'Connor

Tour Consultant

Originally from Ireland, Claire uncovered her passion for travel while exploring Europe right from her doorstep. She ventured across the Atlantic ten years ago and moved to Canada, bringing with her a drive to help others view the world and themselves in new ways. Claire finds great joy in planning educational travel opportunities and unique experiences across the globe.

Erris Collins-Hasip

Tour Consultant

Erris discovered his hunger for knowledge and passion for travelling at a young age. This is what brought him to his current role as a Tour Consultant with WorldStrides Canada where he hopes to continue helping teachers inspire that same passion and joy in the hearts of their students.

Ethan Murphy-Sheehan

Tour Consultant

Ethan’s love for travel began at a young age when he played in a rugby tournament in Toulouse, sparking a passion for exploring new places. Originally from Cork, Ireland, Ethan has travelled extensively across Europe through school rugby and personal adventures. Now, he’s excited to help students discover their own life-changing journeys and inspire them to embrace the world around them.

Jessica Stang

Tour Consultant

Jessica is a prolific traveller and brings that vast experience to her role as a Tour Consultant. As an avid sports fan and coach, she is excited to be able to support the team in planning both athletic and educational travel experiences for groups across Canada.

Jody Euloth

Account Manager

Jody has spent many years exploring the world and working in the travel industry. A teacher by trade, she believes that travel is one of the best educational advantages our youth can experience. Her commitment to collaboration and attention to detail gives travellers peace of mind while creating memories that last a lifetime.

Judith Lucky-Idiake

Tour Consultant

Judith’s passion for travel has taken her from Nigeria to Belgium to Canada, with countless adventures in between. Having worked as both a Tour Director and Consultant, she now channels her love for exploration into helping others experience the world. Judith is dedicated to shaping unforgettable travel experiences for students, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Katie Tran

Tour Consultant

Katie knew she was interested in pursuing a career in educational travel because of her passion for travel, culture, and human connection. Katie has worked in the industry for 13 years now. In her role as a Tour Consultant, Katie combines her experience in customer service and account management to support the travel experiences of teachers and students across Canada.

Kirby Stones

Tour Consultant

Kirby has over ten years of experience in the education sector. Committed to building relationships, he works collaboratively to craft itineraries chock-full of extraordinary learning opportunities. He excels at establishing rapport and working alongside Program Leaders to create experiences that exceed expectations.

Kirk Hards

Tour Consultant

Surrounded by sports, Kirk grew up with the opportunity to travel with his school teams. His experience travelling for sports, alongside his love for personal travel, led him to work in the travel industry, where he has remained for the past eight years. Helping students travel is meaningful for Kirk, as it reminds him of the special times he enjoyed as a student. Now Kirk is dedicated to sharing his lived experiences and lessons learned with others.

Laura Cormier

Senior Tour Coordinator

Laura joined Brightspark as a Tour Coordinator in 2018 after a two-year stint teaching in South Korea. Her lifelong passion for travelling—including explorations of over 30 countries!—inspired her choice to pursue a career in travel and planning itineraries. When she’s not busy crafting tours, she’s crafting handmade jewellery, knitting, and learning pottery.

Laurie Doyle

Senior Account Manager

For Laurie, a high school history trip to Greece ignited a lifelong love of travel. She went on to qualify as a History and English teacher and has worked in various student-centered roles, but not without finding the time to visit over 30 countries! Laurie's passion for educational travel led her to WorldStrides, where for 10 years she’s been helping students experience the world in the life-changing way that she did.

Lindsay Christie

Tour Consultant

Originally from Scotland, Lindsay moved to Vancouver via Australia and brought with her over ten years of experience in the travel sales industry. Her specialty: service trips! Amid her travels to over 50 countries, Lindsay spent time volunteering on various projects in India, Kenya, Tanzania, and Costa Rica. Her passion for exploration carries over into her role as she works to open the door of possibilities for students through educational travel.

Lizbeth Gallant

Tour Coordinator

Liz caught the travel bug early after a childhood of road trips and international travel. She quickly turned that passion for exploration into a career in hospitality and travel, spending over 15 years providing exceptional experiences to high-profile clients in the hotel industry. Since joining Brightspark as a Tour Coordinator, Liz has continued to help all of our travellers make treasured lifelong memories through their tours.

Meaghan Taylor

Senior Account Manager

Meaghan has worked in the education industry for over 20 years, dedicated to travel since 2013. She has travelled to all corners of the world and spent six years living in Asia, giving her a unique perspective on how travel can be life-changing. She believes seeing new places is the best opportunity to learn about the world and yourself.

Melissa Cadman

Sales Manager

As a high school musical theatre and drama student, Melissa had the opportunity to experience an educational trip to New York City. This dream come true inspired Melissa to instill a love for travel in students. Melissa went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, allowing her to bring other theatre students’ dreams to life across Canada. Now she relishes leading the exploration of professional theatre for travellers in places like Toronto and New York City!

Melissa Convery

Performance Tour Consultant

Melissa spent her childhood training in the Performing Arts as a Dancer, Actor, Musician, and even Stand-up Comedian. As an adult, she has transitioned to providing incredible performing opportunities to students all over the world. The arts have remained a constant in Melissa’s life, and she has made it her mission to give back by introducing students to new artistic communities and cultures.

Mike Di Leo

Sales Manager

Mike has been providing experiential learning opportunities for hundreds of school groups since 2008. Specializing in North American tours, he is dedicated to creating customized itineraries that best suit the interests of the students, teachers, and community. Mike appreciates how much work goes into school trips, from the initial planning stages to the on-tour experience. He is committed to his schools during the entire process, letting teachers focus on what they do best—teaching.

Molly O'Callaghan

Tour Consultant

Molly joined WorldStrides Canada in 2020 as a Tour Director. During her time in this role, she discovered the profound impact travel can have on the student experience. Since then, Molly has transitioned into her current role as a Tour Consultant where she remains committed to changing her student’s lives.

Nana Akua Ampere

Tour Coordinator

Nana started her journey with Brightspark in 2019 as a Tour Director and has since transitioned to our incredible team of Tour Coordinators. Nana loves being part of the travel planning journey with our groups, from the very beginning through to the end. An avid traveller, Nana loves exploring new cultures and cuisines and bringing that experience into her role at Brightspark.

Natasha Angeles

Tour Consultant

Natasha has been helping make adventure possible for students since 2014. She is customer-focused and works directly with many Ontario teachers, principals, and school boards to organize educational and adventurous trips. Being a part of the planning process and creating unforgettable journeys for travellers drives Natasha's passion as a Tour Consultant.

Sabrina Mariani

Tour Consultant

Sabrina joined Brightspark as a Tour Coordinator in 2007. After a brief hiatus as she travelled around the world aboard a cruise ship, Sabrina recently brought her love for trip planning back to WorldStrides in her role as a Tour Consultant. When she is not planning trips for students, she is planning them for herself and her 11-year-old son.

Sonia Mariani

Tour Consultant

Sonia’s love for travel began as a young student, exploring new places through school programs and extracurricular activities. With a passion for food, culture, and adventure, she has carried this enthusiasm throughout her personal and professional life. Now, as a Tour Consultant, Sonia is excited to share her experiences and inspire future travellers to embark on their own journeys of discovery.

Sara Nicholson

Senior Account Manager

Sara grew up travelling on long summer vacations across North America with her parents, both teachers. This environment that fostered adventure and learning, inspired the travel bug in her to go on some fantastic trips throughout the world. She now shares her passion with her husband and kids, who have also developed a love of travel. With over 20 years of experience in educational travel and the hospitality industry, Sara’s love of trip planning continues to shine through when creating memorable itineraries.

Stephanie Crosbie

Senior Account Manager

Stephanie has shared in WorldStrides' mission for over a decade. Inspired by her grandfathers, who were both Canadian World War II Veterans, she loves helping Program Leaders plan unforgettable trips to the Canadian Battlefields in Europe. Stephanie strives to create unmatched educational experiences for the next generation of students, specifically those learning about the sacrifices of all who served in the Canadian forces.

Tamara Bozickovic

Tour Director Supervisor

Tamara started her journey as a Tour Director at Brightspark in 2016. A lifelong traveller, Tamara’s experiences exploring the world at an early age sparked her passion for sharing the excitement of seeing new places. Tamara is now the Tour Director Supervisor for Brightspark, working closely with our team of Tour Directors to ensure that all our travellers can look forward to a truly unforgettable experience on their program.