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Meet the Sales Team

 

Team at Little Canada

The Brightspark family works diligently to ensure students travel safely and seamlessly with unforgettable itineraries. Committed to helping teachers, and students through each step of the travel process, we make life-changing journeys possible. Our team members band together with different expertise and experiences to contribute to a common goal: deep dedication to each student’s learning and growth. Reach out to us if you would like to connect— we are eager to help you on your next adventure!

Bianca Schaetzle

Account Manager

Bianca started her career with Brightspark in 2013 leading tours in some of our most popular destinations. She later transitioned into a Sales Executive role, planning and organizing school meetings for future trips. After a short hiatus, Bianca was warmly welcomed back to the team in 2017 as a Tour Consultant, working closely with many of our school boards across the Greater Toronto Area.

Caitlin Scanlon

Tour Consultant

Caitlin started her career with Brightspark in 2016 as a Tour Director. She has had the pleasure of leading tours in some of our most popular and memorable destinations, including Ottawa, Montréal, and New York City. After transitioning into a role as a Tour Consultant, Caitlin continues to show her commitment to bringing travel opportunities to life. She spends most of her time working hand in hand with Ontario school boards to organize excursions and plan unforgettable educational trips!

Carla Pessoa Roy

Senior Account Manager

Carla has worked in educational travel for over 20 years, starting in the industry as a Tour Director. After completing her degree in education while living abroad and teaching English in Asia, Carla decided to return to Canada to begin her career in travel. Her role perfectly blends two of her passions: travel and education. When she’s not customizing tours for her groups, she’s customizing adventures for her three girls.

Claire O'Connor

Tour Consultant

Originally from Ireland, Claire uncovered her passion for travel while exploring Europe right from her doorstep. She ventured across the Atlantic ten years ago and moved to Canada, bringing with her a drive to help others view the world and themselves in new ways. Claire finds great joy in planning educational travel opportunities and unique experiences across the globe.

Jennifer Holden

Senior Account Manager

Jennifer has been in the travel industry since 1987. After returning home from Québec City in 2006, she began a new adventure in the educational travel field. Jennifer brings customer service-oriented energy to her work and is passionate about giving students memories that will last a lifetime. During her free time, she enjoys golfing, cycling, playing tennis, and skiing with her husband.

Jody Euloth

Account Manager

Jody has spent many years exploring the world and working in the travel industry. A teacher by trade, she believes that travel is one of the best educational advantages our youth can experience. Her commitment to collaboration and attention to detail gives travellers peace of mind while creating memories that last a lifetime.

Kirby Stones

Tour Consultant

Kirby has over ten years of experience in the education sector. Committed to building relationships, he works collaboratively to craft itineraries chock-full of extraordinary learning opportunities. He excels at establishing rapport and working alongside Program Leaders to create experiences that exceed expectations.

Kirk Hards

Tour Consultant

Surrounded by sports, Kirk grew up with the opportunity to travel with his school teams. His experience travelling for sports, alongside his love for personal travel, led him to work in the travel industry, where he has remained for the past eight years. Helping students travel is meaningful for Kirk, as it reminds him of the special times he enjoyed as a student. Now Kirk is dedicated to sharing his lived experiences and lessons learned with others.

Laurie Doyle

Senior Tour Consultant

For Laurie, a high school history trip to Greece ignited a lifelong love of travel. She went on to qualify as a History and English teacher and has worked in various student-centered roles, but not without finding the time to visit over 30 countries! Laurie's passion for educational travel led her to WorldStrides, where for 10 years she’s been helping students experience the world in the life-changing way that she did.

Leah Robinson

Tour Consultant

Leah began working with WorldStrides Canada in 2019 as a Tour Director. As a student, she travelled to many destinations and has since expanded her love for travel both as a Tour Director and in her personal life. Having visited more than 30 countries, Leah feels inspired to share her passion for travel with students, helping create memorable and exciting experiences. When she’s not travelling, Leah loves to be creative with painting and drawing. She also enjoys watching Disney movies.

Lindsay Christie

Tour Consultant

Originally from Scotland, Lindsay moved to Vancouver via Australia and brought with her over ten years of experience in the travel sales industry. Her specialty: service trips! Amid her travels to over 50 countries, Lindsay spent time volunteering on various projects in India, Kenya, Tanzania, and Costa Rica. Her passion for exploration carries over into her role as she works to open the door of possibilities for students through educational travel.

Meaghan Taylor

Senior Account Manager

Meaghan has worked in the education industry for over 20 years, dedicated to travel since 2013. She has travelled to all corners of the world and spent six years living in Asia, giving her a unique perspective on how travel can be life-changing. She believes seeing new places is the best opportunity to learn about the world and yourself.

Melissa Cadman

Sales Manager

As a high school musical theatre and drama student, Melissa had the opportunity to experience an educational trip to New York City. This dream come true inspired Melissa to instill a love for travel in students. Melissa went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, allowing her to bring other theatre students’ dreams to life across Canada. Now she relishes leading the exploration of professional theatre for travellers in places like Toronto and New York City!

Melissa Convery

Performance Tour Consultant

Melissa spent her childhood training in the Performing Arts as a Dancer, Actor, Musician, and even Stand-up Comedian. As an adult, she has transitioned to providing incredible performing opportunities to students all over the world. The arts have remained a constant in Melissa’s life, and she has made it her mission to give back by introducing students to new artistic communities and cultures.

Michelle Szepes

Tour Consultant

Inspired by her parents, Michelle has always had a passion for travelling. Her Mother migrated to Canada from England, and her Father from Hungary, which encouraged the travel bug in Michelle at a very young age. She has worked in customer service and sales for over 15 years, helping others make their dreams of travel come to life with ease and support. When Michelle isn’t helping plan life-changing educational travel, you can find her exploring nature with her rescue dogs or being creative in her art studio.

Mike Di Leo

Sales Manager

Mike has been providing experiential learning opportunities for hundreds of school groups since 2008. Specializing in North American tours, he is dedicated to creating customized itineraries that best suit the interests of the students, teachers, and community. Mike appreciates how much work goes into school trips, from the initial planning stages to the on-tour experience. He is committed to his schools during the entire process, letting teachers focus on what they do best—teaching.

Natasha Angeles

Tour Consultant

Natasha has been helping make adventure possible for students since 2014. She is customer-focused and works directly with many Ontario teachers, principals, and school boards to organize educational and adventurous trips. Being a part of the planning process and creating unforgettable journeys for travellers drives Natasha's passion as a Tour Consultant.

Rae-Ann Bond

Tour Consultant

Introduced to educational travel while at University, Rae-Ann fell in love with the synergy of adventure and learning. Now, she works hard to make her passion a reality for her Program Leaders and helps to inspire a sense of wonder and adventure in their students.

Sara Nicholson

Senior Account Manager

Sara grew up travelling on long summer vacations across North America with her parents, both teachers. This environment that fostered adventure and learning, inspired the travel bug in her to go on some fantastic trips throughout the world. She now shares her passion with her husband and kids, who have also developed a love of travel. With over 20 years of experience in educational travel and the hospitality industry, Sara’s love of trip planning continues to shine through when creating memorable itineraries.

Stephanie Crosbie

Senior Account Manager

Stephanie has shared in WorldStrides' mission for over a decade. Inspired by her grandfathers, who were both Canadian World War II Veterans, she loves helping Program Leaders plan unforgettable trips to the Canadian Battlefields in Europe. Stephanie strives to create unmatched educational experiences for the next generation of students, specifically those learning about the sacrifices of all who served in the Canadian forces.