Ms. Gomes holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Foreign Language from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, with a specialization in Japanese language education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Before joining APIS, she taught Japanese in Hawaiʻi’s public school system as a Japanese Dual Language Immersion teacher.

Born and raised in Macao, Ms. Gomes grew up in a multilingual and multicultural environment and speaks Japanese, English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Her experience at the intersection of different languages and cultures has shaped her passion for language education and her belief that language can serve as a bridge between people, cultures, and perspectives.

In her classroom, Ms. Gomes strives to create an engaging and supportive environment where students can use Japanese meaningfully and confidently. She enjoys incorporating authentic language, culture, creative activities, and real-world connections into her teaching, with the goal of inspiring students to become curious, globally minded lifelong learners.

Outside the classroom, she enjoys traveling, theater, arts and crafts, and exploring different cultures and languages.

Dara Hessee has 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, with a deep passion for purpose-driven work and advancing organizations that actively shape a better world. She thrives in multicultural environments and has served in overseas educational settings as a communications professional at an international school in Bogotá, Colombia, and as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Poland.

In the United States, Dara led several initiatives for a large health foundation, which included expanding physical activity and nutrition opportunities in 60 percent of Colorado’s school districts. She was also Chief of Staff for the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology, where she provided strategic leadership and oversaw legislative and communications functions.

An avid global traveler and adventurer, Dara has explored more than 30 countries across four continents. Her passion for running has taken her to cities around the world to complete half and full marathons. She is thrilled to be joining the APIS Hawaii community with her husband, Dr. Greg Hessee, and their daughter, whose love of the sea knows no bounds.

Dr. Hessee spent two years teaching in Peace Corps Poland and 11 years in urban classrooms throughout the United States before running a nonprofit program in Colorado focused on dramatically increasing the number and diversity of students graduating college ready. As a classroom instructor, Greg has taught research, philosophy, humanities, computer science, and all manner of Language Arts courses including IB and AP. As an educational leader, he has served as instructional coach, English department chair, Stanford D School Trainer, PBL trainer, school designer, and even spent time exploring the religions of India as a Fulbright Scholar. Most recently, Greg has been leading innovation and advanced academics at Colegio Nueva Granada in Bogota, Colombia.

After working for decades to redesign large school systems, Greg is overjoyed to be joining a school focused on innovation and the mastery of meaningful skills. Greg is a huge outdoor enthusiast who recognizes that the world is filled to the brim with wonder and works to ensure his students feel the same awe in the face of life’s grandeur as he does. Oh, and he is pumped to finally live by the sea!