We’ve been in our student’s shoes. We know what it takes to adjust and integrate into living in a new country, a new city. Because of this, you will find our employees and faculty going above and beyond to provide support services. Yes, our focus is education, but we also think about the whole person – where will they live, where will they eat, how will they create their own community? We want BEI to be an extension of home.
At BEI, we are a family. We strive to set an example through the mutual respect and collaborative approach we take to education here at BEI.
Despite our unique differences, we succeed together every day.
On staff, we have employees that represent home countries and cultures from all over the world. Together, we bring our American, Bosnian, Burmese, Congolese, Croatian, Cuban, Egyptian, Honduran, Iraqi, Mexican, Pakistani, Puerto Rican, Russian, Tunisian, and Vietnamese cultures all together. Like our great city, BEI is diverse.
At its heart, BEI is Houston.
We are the new community – integrating and thriving together.
Welcome to Bilingual Education Institute.
Our Staff is:
Multi-lingual
Combined, we speak more than 15 languages
Diverse
Together, we represent more than 15 countries.
Experienced
We bring a collective experience of over 10 decades.
Learn about BEI from the people who know it best, in their own words.
“One of the best memories that I have is Thanksgiving Day celebration. It was the same week when I joined BEI, and I was impressed by the joy, happiness and family culture. Celebrating with students from all over the world while sharing a beautiful lunch with a big variety of traditional foods from different countries, and learning about students’ cultures… it was amazing.”
Meriem Bouziri, Director of Enrollment, Marketing & Communications
“Every memory here at BEI is my favorite. Working at BEI is like a family and you get to know and enrich your personal lives through the interaction with such a diverse staff.”
Ceasar Santiago, Program Coordinator
“My most memorable students took their classes with us from their lowest level to their highest level. They were probably the oldest students in our school. At their ages (seventies), they should have retired and enjoyed their life. However, they came from a long way to America in order to fulfill their own dreams. I personally admired them so much because of their optimism and enthusiasm as they were adapting to the new environment, and their willingness to face the challenges of learning English at their age. I saw them struggling in speaking and learning English at the beginning, but I also saw them improving so much before they left BEI. They are the model students that I have not forgotten in my heart.”
Thanh Nguyen, Financial Controller
“I remember a couple from Cuba, who came to Houston with zero English. However, they both started working in the Spanish-speaking clinic as nurses (they used to be doctors in their country). They would work during the day and attend my class daily from 7-9 each evening. I don’t know where they are now and how they are doing, but I remember how humble and enthusiastic they were about learning English and receiving their doctor’s license here in the States. Though I have been in Administration since 2010, I still meet a lot of nice students who stay in my heart because they care about us, as well: talking to us, sharing their thoughts and emotions, sharing food, and much more!”
Luba Nesterova, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
“My most memorable student is a previous student who is blind. He was determined to learn English and came to class on a regular basis for various classes. He continued with BEI after completing all other classes and enrolled in a Citizenship class. When the news came to me that he had passed the citizenship test, it was a great joy to have seen the student go through the entire process and achieve his goal regardless of his disability. His story is what BEI stands for – empowerment through education.”
Ceasar Santiago, Program Coordinator
“The way we care. Care to be better, to be more effective and efficient, care to be competitive and different. Education is the most progressive industry in the humanitarian industry – the most flexible, fluid, and adaptable. It gives all of us more chances to make a difference daily and in the long run as well. I feel like my co-workers really make a difference when they shake the traditional order, sharing on how we can improve or to try something different. They make a difference when they strive for their own professional development when they simply make their day-to-day routine more human-friendly and logical. I love new people who bring new ideas and change our traditional perspective on our current practices and policies. I love to learn from other people and celebrate their success. That is how each of us makes a difference for ourselves, for the school, and, most importantly – for our students.”
Luba Nesterova, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
“My colleagues make a difference every single day whether behind the scenes in an office or at the front desk assisting, guiding and counseling current, future, and/or previous students to accomplish their goals in learning English. The BEI staff takes great pride and joy in making a difference in all students’ lives. The diversity of the staff contributes to making a difference in understanding the importance of English as a non-native speaker.”
Ceasar Santiago, Program Coordinator
“Access. I often hear that we are unique in that students can actually build trust and relationships with our team. We are accessible and easily approachable – this helps students with fluency and confidence, too – but mostly we are here to help and our students are always welcome to approach us for anything
Keri Lippe, Academic Director
“BEI’s mission and vision is what keeps me motivated – that we are an educational institute that takes pride in student’s accomplishment. BEI values the participation, commitment, and contribution of all its students in the community. The core of its mission keeps me coming to work every day full of pride and motivation.”
Ceasar Santiago, Program Coordinator
“I choose to work for BEI because of the company’s culture. It is a family culture, and I do not have one here, so they have become my family. BEI has big potential, and a great mission. We help people, and we change their lives for the better. Learning a language and a new culture opens new horizons, giving you the keys to success.”
Meriem Bouziri, Director – Enrollment, Marketing & Communications
“There are many reasons, but if I think about the core reason, it is probably the opportunity to make a difference DAILY. I hate routine work, and my work at BEI has never been a routine! As a private institution, we do not have high bureaucratic walls of passing and implementing new ideas and projects. We try, we experiment, we change all the time.”
Luba Nesterova, Director of Curriculum and Instruction