Our Teachers
Kyle Beauliv
Kyle moved from Australia to Vancouver and was immediately captured by the beauty of the mountains, ocean and forest that surround it. Since then, she has spent many hours outdoors with friends, family, and students. Her love of the outdoors was inspired by Australia and has grown as she explores the forest trials, lakes, rivers and oceans of BC.
Kyle obtained her Bachelors of Education at the Federation University of Australia. She further studied Kinesiology and Mathematics, and obtained her diploma in Early Childhood Education and Infant/Toddler Education at Langara College.
Currently Kyle is a local elementary school teacher, and she loves teaching a gardening program with her students, as well as having the opportunity to teach outdoor sessions with iGen. She has also been involved with the design and development of the current iGen outdoor program and camps provided during the school breaks which are focused on STEAM. Her love for STEAM is connected to the belief she holds in the concept of growth mindset and hands-on interaction to support learning. STEAM allows for creativity and science/mathematics to be combined as students explore and develop their understanding of key concepts.
At iGen Kyle focuses on Destination Imagination and Outdoor school. She also helps coordinate, plan, and develop these programs, along with the design and implementation of camps during Winter, Spring and Summer.
Learning in these different environments, instead of the standard desk and chairs with the students sitting and the instructor talking, allows all students to achieve their potential as learners. As each child is unique, so too is their style of learning best. STEAM and Outdoor Learning provides movement, discussion, and opportunities to explore themes and take risks in a safe environment. The combination of these skills helps to facilitate the learning of new concepts, to grow on existing knowledge and to broaden their understanding of the world around them.
iGen is not simply a group of people who teach what they know but it is a community of individuals inspired and dedicated to sharing their knowledge and the love of it with their students in a meaningful way. For Kyle, iGen is like an extended family.
Kyle believes in taking safe risks and exploring the world around us at different levels, from under the sea (scuba diving), to on the water (Paddle boarding or canoeing), to the forest trails (hiking) and the skies (she has even tried sky diving!). Each environment and each experience helps mold us into the person we are. So, as Kyle says, “Experience as much as possible.”
Melissa Versteeg
Melissa Versteeg is a teacher and educational consultant at iGen Education. Melissa is passionate about early childhood education, play, inquiry, and STEAM based learning. She has been an elementary teacher for ten years, previously teaching in Ontario and also at a private school in Dubai (GEMS International School). Currently, Melissa is a primary teacher in the Abbotsford School District. For the past ten years, she has been on the pursuit to find ways to cultivate a learning environment that is meaningful, engaging, supportive and fun for students. She has additional qualifications in Mathematics, Special Education, Outdoor Education, Inquiry-Based Learning, English Language Learning, and Digital Learning Classrooms. Melissa guides learners to develop a “Growth Mindset” by encouraging students to lead their own learning while providing them with opportunities to learn through play and inquiry-based pedagogy. Melissa enjoys working with parents and students to develop their learning goals and regularly communicates with parents about their child’s progress using Seasaw.
Melissa’s Goals in Education are:
Pursuit of continuous learning
Develop an online teaching practice
Be curious, creative and have fun exploring best practices in education
Integrate digital learning into practice to maximize student engagement and spark 21st century competencies
Build equity in education and support diverse learning needs
Share her passion for early childhood education, inquiry and play-based learning
Yaathavan Suresh
Yaathavan graduated from the Bachelor of Science program at The University of British Columbia majoring in Biology while taking a particular interest in Genetics, Physiology and Zoology. He is highly competent in research laboratory techniques from working in a laboratory setting at BC Children's Hospital. As a Biology Major Yaathavan has a plethora of experience conducting field studies outdoors, including notable experiences examining intertidal species at Bamfield, and conducting a survey analysis of plant life at Pacific Spirit Park. At iGen, Yaathavan develops and teaches personalized lesson plans in the topics of Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.
Yaathavan believes STEAM and Outdoor learning is important because it allows the student to learn the desired material in a more immersive and hands-on way. Students are able to learn concepts efficiently, and in return, this motivates teachers to continue implementing these strategies. Yaathavan loves the availability and diversity of resources at iGen, as well as the small class sizes which offer personalized learning experiences for students. As a teacher at iGen Yaathavan values having access to a variety of materials and support from the team to provide each student with a tailored learning experience.
Yaathavan is a car enthusiast and in his free time, you can find him fixing and working on cars.
Our Advisors
Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin
Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin is a science educator within the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She specializes in science (physics and mathematics) teaching and studies ways of using technology to promote student interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
For the last 25 years she has been teaching science and mathematics in Israel, US (Texas and New Jersey) and Canada. She has taught physics and mathematics to a wide range of students: from elementary gifted students to university undergraduates in science programs and future teachers. She also has led a number of professional development activities for science in-service and pre-service teachers and university faculty: from LoggerPro training workshops, to clicker and tablet training, and to physics content presentations at conferences and PD days. Since 1994, she has been engaged in science education research. Dr. Milner-Bolotin earned her M.Sc. in theoretical physics at Kharkov National University, Ukraine in 1991 and completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in science education at the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. At UT Austin, she investigated how project-based instruction in science courses for future elementary teachers affected their interest in science and their ability to do and teach science.
Before joining UBC, she was an Assistant Professor of Physics at Ryerson University in Toronto. Dr. Milner-Bolotin was a member of the Executive Board of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT, 2008-2013) and was a President and a representative for BC Section of AAPT (www.bcapt.ca). At UBC, she was promoted to an Associate Professor in May of 2015. She is actively recruiting graduate students. To learn more about Dr. Milner-Bolotin, visit her research web site at: http://blogs.ubc.ca/mmilner/ .
Professor Hartley Banack
I am a father, partner, son, brother, friend, colleague, educator, and community member. I have always volunteered, mostly with children with disabilities, and continue to do so with the Wild About Vancouver Outdoor Education Festival (www.wildaboutvancouver.com) to get more people outdoors more often, particularly for learning and with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports (www.vass.ca) helping people learn to alpine ski.
I love to ski, cycle, paddle, hike, throw a disc, skate, strum guitar, read poetry & philosophy, philosophize, cook, garden, play chess, MacGyver, and make others smile (aka be silly). I have been an outdoor educator since my mid-teens – initially, leading backcountry wilderness trips as a guide, then leading outdoor/physical education/camp programs as an administrator and Executive Director. I have worked with a wide range of community-based, non-profit programs and services, and even started a few up. I am rather passionate about outdoor learning and time spent outdoors during learning and life. I am attempting to live more ‘locally’ (whatever that might mean, more of a where question perhaps), and explore this in my approach to outdoor learning. I hold a BC teaching certificate (B.Ed.) from SFU, and have taught with various age groups and in distinct educational settings, including pre-school, elementary school, high school, post-secondary school, and with adults and seniors, in Canada and Chile. My educational pursuits also include a Master’s (Diversity in Curriculum and Instruction) and a Ph.D. (Curriculum Theory and Implementation), both from SFU.
I have enjoyed participating in experiences with some fairly radical work teams, which have significantly (in)formed my “ways” of teamwork and learning. I am rather open to diversity, difference, and making meaning through sharing and participation. I have learned that outdoor quests are not about the summit, but rather an adventure.
(Biography credit to UBC: https://edcp.educ.ubc.ca/faculty-staff/hartley-banack/)
Our Leadership Team
Lulu Wang
Lulu is the founder and CEO of iGen Education group.
When Lulu was growing up, she was always inspired by her grandparents who are both successful educators with many students. Her grandparents are her role models, and they catalyzed Lulu’s love of learning. Though Lulu always had a strong interest in modern education, it was becoming a parent that inspired her to dedicate her career to education, to ensure we can create a better world for future generations. Lulu founded iGen Education because she wanted her boys to have an education that would be both engaging while also preparing them for the 21st century world. In today’s world, technology is rapidly evolving, we are facing an environmental crisis, we have only begun seeing the enormous impacts of globalization, and we are faced with preparing our children to work in jobs that don’t even exist yet today. Since the world is changing so fast, education needs to change too, and the way we deliver education needs to be led by the student because they will be in the driver's seat when it comes to their future. Lulu is passionate about STEAM because these educational foundations are critical in teaching kids to be innovative, adaptable, creative, and collaborative, and outdoor learning allows students to gain a deeper understanding of these fundamentals while also instilling environmental stewardship and developing children to be global citizens. Lulu is passionate about empowering the younger generation to create a better world, and she believes strongly in the programs that iGen offers – her son’s attend almost every program! Inspiring the younger generation is dependent on sparking their imagination and allowing them to be creative and innovative, which is why iGen places a huge emphasis on hands-on projects and making learning fun.
Lulu believes every child deserves a good education, and therefore prioritizes giving back to the community by proving scholarships to children who could not otherwise afford to participate. She is passionate about supporting children with autism and iGen’s programs have been wonderful for neurodiverse learners. Lulu has a big vision for iGen, and aims to expand the organization worldwide to be a leader in the new model of learning and offer more kids the opportunity to learn in ways that work best for them. In the future Lulu aspires to have an iGen STEAM Track in high schools, partner with university programs within Canada and around the world, and develop an international exchange program for students, and expand iGen nationally and internationally. Lulu’s overarching vision is for children to develop a globalized understanding - since we live in an interdependent global ecosystem – by giving students the opportunity to learn about different cultures, travel worldwide, and create real life experiences.
Lulu lives in Kerrisdale Vancouver and loves to spend time outdoors with her husband and two sons. Prior to entering the field of education Lulu worked as a Marketing and Communications Director at Tom Lee Music. She earned her Bachelor of Arts with a Communications focus from Simon Fraser University in 2010, and will peruse her Masters of Education (MEd) in 2022. In 2018 Lulu co-founded the education initiative Sparks Children Education, where she was able to connect with many families in Kerrisdale who are equally passionate about providing a great educational experience for their children.
Our Staff
Nan Zheng
Nan obtained her degree from UBC Faculty of Arts, with a Major in Psychology and a Minor in economics. As the Marketing Director of the Chinese Market, Nan spends much of her time writing articles about student learning at iGen, filming and editing videos of classes and taking photos, managing our Chinese social media presence, and creating various marketing/promotional assets. Nan loves her job at iGen because it gives her the opportunity to promote this new model of teaching and learning which is student-centric and STEAM focused. Nan is motivated to promote this new model of learning because STEAM learning takes an interdisciplinary approach, aimed at encouraging children to think more broadly about real-world problems. She believes it is so important that we provide learning environments that are relevant, consistently fluid and dynamic, fitting to the way that the world works today and how it will continue to work in the future. Nan’s degree in Psychology and her understanding of child development has amplified her belief that daily exposure to natural settings increases children's ability to focus and therefore enhances cognitive abilities.
Nan has a strong passion for fine arts, creativity, using her imagination, being inspired and inspiring others in the process. She enjoys working with all kinds of mediums, from paper folding to sketching and water painting on canvases. Some of her favorite activities include dancing and snowboarding.
