Our Team
At BCNLIP UP we believe a strong educational community is built by committed, diverse people with a calling. Our team is made up of professionals who share a common goal: to support every student with closeness, rigor, and a passion for teaching.
Academic Management
Elena García
Academic Coordination
Elisenda Torrell
Coordinator of Catalan Courses and DELE Exams
BA in Translation and Interpreting from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (2006). Teacher Training Certificate (CAP), University of Barcelona (2006). Postgraduate in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (2007) at International House. Master’s in Second-Language Teacher Training, University of Barcelona (2010). With international and Barcelona-based experience as a Spanish teacher, she has taught Catalan and Spanish at BCNLIP since 2001.
Teaching a language is not just grammar; it’s explaining a culture, a way of understanding the world, a way of socializing. I try to prepare my students to integrate successfully in our country.
Maria Selezneva
Coordinator of Preparatory Courses for Higher Studies and Student Support
BA in Sinology from Chita University, Russia (2007). Lived for four years in Harbin, where she worked as a translator while completing a master’s in international trade. She began her teaching career in 2012 and has been part of the BCNLIP team since 2013.
Language is culture. I feel like a bridge that connects people. I love helping others bring the cultures of different countries to life. The most beautiful part of teaching is seeing the genuine smiles of the child still present in adults when they produce a correct sentence in the language they’re studying.
Nenad Panòvic
SIELE Exams Coordinator
Qualified teacher of Spanish and Catalan from Badalona. Holds a BA in Hispanic Philology and two master’s degrees related to Spanish didactics and pedagogy. In addition to the Master’s in Spanish Language and Literature, he has a Master’s in Training Teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language (University of Barcelona). Raised in a trilingual environment (Spanish, Catalan, Serbian), which shaped his professional path. Passionate about linguistics, he speaks seven languages. He has six years of national and international ELE experience.
From my own perspective and way of being, I believe the teacher must take an active, communicative, and dynamic role in the classroom. My greatest achievement is that students, in all contexts where I’ve taught, value my dedication and involvement — and that being multilingual is unquestionably an advantage that facilitates teaching and learning.
Teaching Department
Languages
Elisenda Torrell
Spanish and Catalan Teacher
BA in Translation and Interpreting (UPF, 2006). Teacher Training Certificate (UB, 2006). Postgraduate in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (International House, 2007). Master’s in Second-Language Teacher Training (UB, 2010). With international and Barcelona-based experience as a Spanish teacher, she has taught Catalan and Spanish at BCNLIP since 2001.
Teaching a language is not just grammar; it is explaining a culture, a way of seeing the world, a way of socializing. I aim to prepare my students to integrate successfully in our country.
Ferrán Martínez
Spanish and Catalan Teacher
Ferran Andreu, from Barcelona. BA in Public Relations, Marketing and Management (Queen’s University Belfast, UK) and Master’s in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (University of Barcelona). Over 14 years teaching ELE abroad, collaborating with numerous centers such as Instituto Cervantes in Budapest (interim), Instituto Cervantes in Vienna, IMC FH Krems (Austria), and CEU University in Budapest. He has completed many specialized courses to maintain and improve his professional level and continues learning to teach better.
I do this out of vocation; I love my work. Learning a foreign language opens a window to a new culture. Every language has its own logic — my job is to help students enter it. The only problem: there are always exceptions!
Juan Maggio
Spanish Teacher
I’m Juan Maggio, born in Argentina and raised in Europe, where I trained as an ELE teacher. I have over 10 years of experience in education, teaching my mother tongue and sharing our culture to help students integrate with dedication and closeness. I want students to see their teacher as a guide who provides local information and tools to achieve their goal of speaking Spanish, passing through all levels, and developing their lives in the country.
To educate is not to hand out a career for a living, but to temper the soul for life’s difficulties.
Lluís Pérez
Spanish and Catalan Teacher
Born in Barcelona and passionate about history, he graduated in History from the UB in 2017. During his studies he began teaching second languages and fell in love with the profession’s interdisciplinary possibilities. He specialized with a Master’s in ELE (Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language), completing it in 2021. Since 2020 he has worked at BCNLIP, where he enjoys combining disciplines and offering services in areas such as teaching Spanish and Catalan, history and art history, and producing immersion classes and cultural workshops. He speaks Russian and English in addition to his native Catalan and Spanish, and enjoys learning from all languages and cultures.
To learn and teach a language, we must have fun, be curious, and get excited. We should use every tool available: history, culture, humor… to take a journey beyond classrooms and textbooks.
Nenad Panòvic
Spanish and Catalan Teacher
Qualified teacher of Spanish and Catalan from Badalona. BA in Hispanic Philology and two master’s degrees related to Spanish didactics and pedagogy. In addition to a Master’s in Spanish Language and Literature, he holds a Master’s in Training Teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language (University of Barcelona). Raised trilingually (Spanish, Catalan, Serbian). Passionate about linguistics and fluent in seven languages. Six years of national and international ELE experience.
The teacher should be active, communicative, and dynamic in class. Students consistently value my dedication and involvement, and being multilingual is a clear advantage that facilitates the teaching-learning process.
Xavi Escudé
Spanish and Catalan Teacher
Born in Barcelona in 1985. BA in English Philology (UB). Lived in Germany, then moved to Madrid for a degree in German Philology (UCM). Holds the CAP (Teacher Training). He has taught for many years: English, German, Spanish, Catalan, and literature in secondary and baccalaureate. He now works at BCNLIP as a Spanish and Catalan teacher. He has specific ELE training (International House) and courses from the Instituto Cervantes. A literature lover, he is currently pursuing a master’s in literature. Letters and teaching are his great passion.
I believe in the power and beauty of words. Learning a language is priceless: it opens a door to the world and broadens how we see reality.
University Preparation
Sciences
Marcel García
Biology and Chemistry Teacher
Graduated in Genetics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2021. Completed his undergraduate internship at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona. In 2022 he finished a Master’s in Biological Anthropology, researching chimpanzee hand muscles. He currently combines teaching with research in comparative anatomy, focusing on the hand and upper limb in various primates, including humans.
Science requires discipline and practice but, above all, passion. Scientific spirit motivates us to connect by sharing knowledge. In this field, it’s amazing to see how the line between students and teachers blurs, as a student can offer a new perspective the teacher hadn’t considered.
Toni Chávez
Teacher of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Physics
Antonio Chanes Espigares is a Mathematics and Science teacher with long-standing experience teaching on engineering degrees and international programs. He combines teaching with research in mathematical systems and biomedical signal analysis, always with a practical, applied focus. He has presented at international conferences and in academic publications. In his classes he conveys not only knowledge, but also curiosity and a passion for science.
Sciences are best understood when taught with passion and real-life connection.
Humanities
Lluís Pérez
Teacher of Spanish History and Art History
Born in Barcelona and passionate about history, he graduated in History from the UB in 2017. During his studies he began teaching second languages and fell in love with the profession’s interdisciplinary possibilities. He specialized with a Master’s in ELE (Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language), completing it in 2021. Since 2020 he has worked at BCNLIP, combining disciplines and offering services in Spanish and Catalan teaching, history and art history, and producing immersion classes and cultural workshops. He speaks Russian and English as well as his native Catalan and Spanish, and enjoys learning from all languages and cultures.
To learn and teach a language, we must have fun, be curious, and get excited. We should use every tool available: history, culture, humor… to take a journey beyond classrooms and textbooks.
Nenad Paunović
Teacher of Spanish Language and Literature
Qualified teacher of Spanish and Catalan from Badalona. BA in Hispanic Philology and two master’s degrees related to Spanish didactics and pedagogy. In addition to a Master’s in Spanish Language and Literature, he holds a Master’s in Training Teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language (University of Barcelona). Raised in a trilingual environment (Spanish, Catalan, Serbian), which shaped his professional path. Passionate about linguistics, he speaks seven languages. He has six years of national and international ELE experience.
The teacher must take an active, communicative, and dynamic role in the classroom. Students value my involvement and dedication, and being multilingual is an unquestionable advantage that supports learning.
Administration and Student Services
Viktoria Uskova
Head of Student Services Department
Born in 1989 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Holds a Master’s in Public Relations and a BA in Linguistics. She has worked in Marketing and Public Relations since 2008 and has been part of the BCNLIP team since 2017.
With languages, you are at home anywhere.
Makram Abdulalim
Refunds
Makram graduated in Computer Science and Engineering from Voronezh State Technical University, Russia. He worked in Russia before moving to Barcelona, where he learned Spanish — his fourth language, in addition to Arabic, English, and Russian. He works at BCNLIP managing students’ refund processes.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." Peter Drucker
