About Us

There's a bit of a strange flow to the mainstream methods of Spanish instruction. Students quickly get overwhelmed with long lists of vocabulary, but grammar is taught at a snail's pace, making it hard to produce unrehearsed yet normal-sounding sentences early on.

With Spanish Pa-Ti, we aim for even relatively complex concepts to be at least familiar before diving into them in-depth, as this baseline vastly improves practical comprehension in non-structured settings. We work on various ways to reformulate thoughts when the exact right word doesn't come to mind and generally throwing enough enthusiasm into the mix for the content to stick.

In addition to online offerings, we are based out of Chicago, which is perhaps one of the most underrated cities in the world for Hispanic culture. From vast Mexican-majority neighborhoods to Guatemalan craftwork and Colombian dance events, there's a rich tapestry of authentic experiences that Spanish fluency opens up. We are happy at all times to provide valuable recommendations for our students to gain increased exposure first-hand.

Meet Our Experienced Instructors

Bundev Sawhney

The founder of Spanish Pa-Ti, Bundev brings a wide variety of Spanish experience to the table from early bilingual education to recent intensive case management work in the language. Bundev started with individual Spanish tutoring in 2023 and he has used these experiences to refine educational methods for beginner skills that are easy to take for granted. Bundev obtained his bilingual transitional license with the state of Illinois in March 2025. He uses the language daily in his neighborhood, with international peers and more. All relevant qualifications - Bilingual immersion program: Dewey Elementary School (2004-2010) Spanish Heritage courses: Nichols Middle School (2010-2013) Spanish 3-5 AP & Independent Studies: Evanston Township High School (2013-2017) Study abroad: Institute for Study Abroad & University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Jul-Dec 2019) Refugee intensive case management work: Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago (Oct 2023-Mar 2025) About 10 percent of direct case work with native speakers Frequent additional information provision/interpretation for health services Tutoring work: Various (Jan 2024-) Illinois Bilingual Transitional License obtained (Feb 2025)

Emma Milner-Gorvine

Emma was enrolled in bilingual education in elementary school and completed accelerated high school classes in the same school and track as Bundev. She majored in Spanish at Earlham College and completed her master's in teaching with a bilingual education concentration from Northeastern Illinois University. Emma is a proud full-time Spanish teacher in the Chicago suburbs today. She has been a core collaborator in developing effective curricula and interactive teaching strategies. All relevant qualifications - Bilingual immersion program: Oakton Elementary School (2004-2010) Spanish Heritage courses: Chute Middle School (2010-2013) Spanish 3-5 AP & Independent Studies: Evanston Township High School (2013-2017) B.A. with majors in Spanish and Educational Pedagogy, Earlham College, Richmond, IN (2017-2021) Study abroad: Centro de Lenguas Modernas, Granada, Spain (Jan-May 2019) English teaching program: Programa de Auxiliares de Conversación de NALCAP, Madrid, Spain (2021-2022) Master’s in Teaching with a concentration in Bilingual Education: Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL (2022-2024)

Luzely Colmares

Luzely was born in Venezuela and currently based between Uruguay and Colombia. She is a pedagogy professor with 20 years of experience specializing in adult cultural education. Throughout her career, Luzely has dedicated herself to designing and implementing practical and effective educational programs focused on improving students' language and cultural skills. She has worked with people of different ages and backgrounds, providing them with tools for inclusion in the digital and cultural world. Luzely's approach is to facilitate learning in a dynamic way, ensuring that students acquire the necessary skills to function confidently. All relevant qualifications - Master's Degree in Critical Pedagogy (Thesis under Review): Universidad Politécnica Territorial, Mérida, Venezuela Bachelor's Degree in Education: Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez Venezuela, (2007-2010) Teacher: National Institute of Educational Cooperation (INCES), Venezuela (Apr 2004-Apr 2008) Cultural Coordinator/Teacher: Ministry of Education, Venezuela (Sep 2010-May 2018) Private tutor for digital skills (2021-) Educator/Teacher for digital skills: Espacio Exe, Montevideo, Uruguay (2023-)