Irakasleak ezagutu

Meet the Teachers

Esther Ciganda

Irakaslea // Teacher

A woman sitting on stone steps in front of a brick wall with green ivy, smiling at the camera, wearing a black and white checkered jumpsuit and pink sneakers.
A woman with blonde, curly hair styled in a half-up bun, wearing glasses and a light-colored turtleneck sweater, smiling while speaking into a microphone.

Madalen Bieter Lete

Madalen Bieter Boise Idahokoa da eta txikia zenetik Euskaraz hitz egiten zuen etxekoekin eta gero Boiseko Ikastolan. Boise State Unibersitaten zegon bitartean Basque Minor-a lortu zuen eta horren bidez Maizpide Barnetegian eta Gipuzkuako hainbat Euskaltegietan ikasi du Euskara. Madalen oso inplikatuta dago bere euskal komunitatean. Hileroko afari batean aurkituko duzu, Oinkari Dantza Taldearekin musika jotzen, edo eszenatokian Hori bai! erromeria taldearekin. 2022an hasi zen NABO Euskararekin Hasierako lehenengo ta bigarren urteko klaseak ematen eta 2025aen hasi zen koordinatzaile lan postuan Mikaela Goikoetxearekin batera.

Madalen Bieter is from Boise, Idaho and grew up speaking Euskara with her family at home and then at the Boiseko Ikastola, the first Basque preschool in the US. During her undergraduate studies at Boise State University, she obtained a Basque Studies Minor. Through that experience, she was able to study Euskara at Maizpide Barnetegia and in several Euskaltegis of Gipuzkoa. Madalen is very involved in the Basque community of Boise. You might catch her at a monthly dinner, playing music for the Oinkari Dantza Taldea, or on stage with Hori bai! a new erromeria band. in 2022 she began teaching beginner Euskara with NABO and in 2025 she took the role of Coordinator with Mikaela Goikoetxea. 

Irakaslea // Teacher & NABO Euskara Co-Coordinator
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Mikaela DePoyster-Goikoetxea

Mikaela DePoyster-Goikoetxea Rock Springs, Wyomingen jaio zen, eta harro dago Euskaldun Berria izateko. Mikaelak zerotik ikasi zuen Euskara NABO Euskara klase batzuk hartuz, eta Maizpide Barnetegian ikasiz. 2 urte Euskal Herrian pasatu ondoren, C1 ziurtagiria lortu zuen, eta Wyomingera itzuli zen. NABO Euskara irakaslea izan da 2024ko udazekenetik, eta NABO Euskara Koordinatzaile postua hartu zuen 2025ean. NABO Euskaratik kanpo, Mikaelak musika irakasten du lehen hezkuntzako eskola batean, eta NABO Musika Zuzendaria da 2020tik.

Mikaela DePoyster-Goikoetxea is a Wyoming native from Rock Springs, and a proud “Euskaldun Berria” (“new Basque speaker”). Inspired by her love of Basque language and culture instilled in her by her aita who immigrated to the US from Nafarroa, Mikaela learned Euskara from zero through a few NABO Euskara Zoom courses and 2 years of intensive study at Maizpide Barnetegia in Lazkao, Gipuzkoa, earning a C1 level certificate in Euskara. Mikaela has been a teacher for NABO Euskara since Fall of 2024, and began her journey as Co-Coordinator for NABO Euskara in early 2025. By day, she works as a K-5 Elementary Music Teacher in Green River, Wyoming, and also has served as NABO’s Music Programs Director since 2020.

Irakaslea // Teacher & NABO Euskara Co-Coordinator

Olatz sanchez-Txabarri

Young woman with dark hair and fair skin standing outdoors in front of lush green tropical plants, wearing a light gray sleeveless dress with a tied waist, jewelry including earrings, a necklace, and a wristwatch.

bio coming soon….

Irakaslea // Teacher

Eukene Franco-Landa

Eukene Franco Landa Euskal Herrian jaio eta hazi da, eta bertan egin ditu Euskal Ikasketetako Gradua eta Masterra, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatean. Geroago, doktoretza eskuratu du University of Miami-n, eta gaur egun han irakasten du gaztelania eta soziolinguistika. Ikerlari gazte gisa, euskarak hainbat komunitatetan nola funtzionatzen duen eta hiztunek, Euskal Herrian zein diasporan, hizkuntzarekin duten bizipen eta identitateak nola eraikitzen dituzten aztertzen du.

Eukene Franco-Landa was born and raised in the Basque Country and completed her B.A. and M.A. in Basque Studies at the University of the Basque Country. She later earned her Ph.D. at the University of Miami, where she now teaches Spanish and sociolinguistics. As a junior scholar, she studies how Basque is spoken and experienced across communities in both the homeland and the U.S. diaspora.

Irakaslea // Teacher
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Zoe Bray

Zoe Bray is an artist based in Reno, Nevada. She moved to the USA from Europe for a job and ended up staying. Zoe is British on her father's side and French Basque on her mother's. But while her maternal grandmother had Basque as her mother-tongue, she chose not to speak it with her children and grandkids. Zoe grew up at a time when it was considered polite for Basque speakers to switch when non-Basque speakers were present. So Zoe vowed to teach herself Basque as soon as she could. When she was a university student at Edinburgh and later Florence, she combined her studies to spend time in the Basque Country taking Basque intense classes. She started with HABE at Maizpide, and continued with AEK in Urepel, and then evening lessons in Hendaye and Bayonne.

Zoe is far from having reached fluency, but she is delighted to share what she knows with beginners.

Irakaslea // Teacher