Elana holds a BA in Psychology and Spanish from Wesleyan University as well as an MA in the Teaching of English from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to joining MBS, Elana taught English in New York City since 2014. 

Elana loves the laughter of an English classroom and witnessing students feel that electric thrill as they gain a new insight or skill. She feels privileged to guide students through their meetings with texts and characters that, to her, feel like old friends. Elana enjoys hearing students question those characters and their circumstances, empathize with their aspirations and shortcomings, and learn how to more empathetically navigate the world through the lens the literature opens to us.

Before joining the teaching profession, Elana worked as an interpreter/translator for asylum-seeking refugees.