Arun Ryan

Teacher Arun Ryan developed an interest in the German language early on, and began to study German in his native India before coming to the U.S. He completed his education here by earning an M.S. from Drexel University. He is also certified in Instructional Systems Design, and his teaching experience includes being a Six Sigma Black Belt trainer and doing private tutoring.

Arun joined German School Phoenix in 2013 and joined Arizona German Language School in 2022. He has taught all levels from beginner to advanced classes. Though he lives in Phoenix, Arun has been running the Tempe Stammtisch for several years. His favorite way to relax is to watch TV.

Dr. Melanie Laczko

Teacher Born and raised in Germany, Dr. Melanie Laczko completed her M.A. in Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies (German, English, Spanish) at the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz where she also worked as an undergraduate and graduate assistant and visiting lecturer between 2003 and 2013 - until her move to Arizona. She started teaching German and Spanish at the high school level in 2014 and finished her Ph.D. in Foreign Language Acquisition and Pedagogy in 2015. She is currently a Modern Language teacher in the Gilbert School District.

Dr. Laczko suffers from the "Wanderlust Syndrome" - a strong desire to travel. She has been to many different countries in the world and used to work as a tour guide for Americans in Europe during Spring and Summer breaks. This is also how she met her husband. She enjoys taking her kids to Germany in the summer, is a Fußball fan (BVB) and loves the beach.

Kerstin Beltran

Substitute Teacher Kerstin Beltran is a native speaker, born and raised in Mainz, Germany. Having studied Speech and Language Pathology in Erlangen, she then worked in this field for several years specializing in therapies for children with developmental issues and special needs. In 2011, she immigrated to Gilbert, Arizona.

A few years later, 2019 she founded her own private tutoring service LogoTutor, LLC teaching German students and children with autism and behavioral issues. She worked for the German School Phoenix in 2019 where she taught Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced and Kinder student classes for one year. Expanding her resume she also provides translation services for lyrics and song notation services.

In her free time, Kerstin enjoys spending time with her husband and her teen daughter, to travel, to hike and to watch movies.

Melanie Mello

Director Melanie Mello grew up in Germany and decided to stay in the US after completing her study abroad at California State University, Chico. She began her teaching career in 2008 and has been awarded several teaching awards since then. Melanie was one of the five finalists for American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ Teacher of the Year (TOY) Award 2020 after having been chosen as the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching TOY and the Arizona TOY in 2019.

When she is not coaching German teachers or presenting on topics related to teaching and learning German, Melanie spends time with her family outdoors or at the barn with her horse. Melanie is excited to direct the Arizona German Language School, and to contribute to its mission to help foster and grow the interest in the German language and its cultures here in Arizona.

Amalie Sielaff

Teacher Amalie Sielaff started studying German as a high school student due to her interest in German art song, and the language became her passion. She completed her M.A. in German Studies at the University of Arizona in 2018 after a year-long position in Germany on a Fulbright scholarship.

She has taught German as a Second Language for 7 years at Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Chandler Preparatory Academy. She is currently a high school German teacher. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, biking, and baking desserts.

John Wheat

Substitute Teacher John Wheat was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and currently attends ASU as a senior. Even though he is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Russian with a minor in German, German was his first foreign language of interest. He is also proficient in Spanish and working on Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian.

After his first visit to Germany and Austria he fell in love with the language and cultures continued for all four years of high school and now university. He has been back three times since then including a short host-family stay in Switzerland. He has been a German tutor at ASU for a little over a year and finds happiness in aiding others in their language learning journey. Besides that, in his free time John enjoys spending time with his friends, trying new restaurants, practicing other languages and listening to music.