Meet Your Instructors

Chelsi Milsted

Owner, Spanish and French Instructor

Chelsi has dedicated much of her life to learning languages. Beginning with American Sign Language interpreting, her passion for languages quickly spread to Italian, Spanish, French, Hindi, and others. She graduated from Portland State University in 2017 with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and French and a minor in Linguistics, and then went on to earn a masters in Education the following year. Endorsed to teach both Spanish and French in Oregon secondary schools, Chelsi worked as a high school language teacher for over six years. In 2020, she was accepted as a candidate for the Doctor of Modern Languages at Middlebury College, a highly esteemed institution in the language world. This program, which requires doctoral level fluency in two languages other than English, focuses heavily on language acquisition and pedagogy research. Chelsi is an innovative teacher who’s instruction reflects both current research in pedagogy as well as her experience teaching in the high school classroom. She started Sepia Language Study as an outlet to teach language as effectively as she is able without the limitations of the public school and university systems.

Simón Holowatz

Spanish Instructor

Simon loves to learn about culture, history and languages. He started learning Spanish at home with his mother and grandmother who immigrated from Nicaragua. His father is half Mexican and half Polish. Simón holds a Master’s of Education from the University of Oregon with an endorsement in teaching Spanish. He has also studied at a bilingual school in Eugene. He studied at La Universidad de Oviedo in Spain for a semester and lived with a host family and graduated with a degree in Spanish and a degree in Communications from the University of Portland. He studied Spanish at Cemanahuac Spanish School in Cuernavaca, Mexico and lived with a host family for two months. He lived and taught English in Managua, Nicaragua for a year. Overall, he has taught Spanish for about 18 years with students from kindergarten through high school. For a year and half, he taught a Spanish medical terminology and cultural competency course for medical personnel in Eugene through Centro Latinoamericano as part of a federal pilot grant. He has taught adults at Penn State University as a member of their University Health Services. Aside from living and traveling in Spain, Mexico and Nicaragua, he has traveled in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and non-Spanish speaking countries. In addition to traveling, Simon enjoys playing soccer, painting, writing fiction and playing with his two-year-old daughter. He has learned a bit of Turkish and Portuguese and loves to learn about languages.

Rachel Howard

English Instructor

Rachel is delighted to be an ESL Instructor with Sepia Language Study!
She earned her undergraduate degrees in visual arts and journalism, where she discovered her love for communication and community building. During that time, she wrote for the university newspaper and volunteered with the International Students Association, helping students from around the world adjust to campus life.

Rachel later taught English as a Second Language to refugees in Pittsburgh, PA—an experience that revealed both her talent and deep passion for teaching English. Having lived abroad herself, she understands firsthand the challenges and rewards of acquiring a new language and culture.

She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Education and a Level 5 Certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Rachel’s classes are student-centered and designed around learners’ interests, with a strong emphasis on engagement, enjoyment, and measurable progress.

When not at Sepia, Rachel enjoys teaching painting, reading, visiting the ocean, and cooking at home.

Eliyah Eells

French Instructor

Eliyah has spent much of her life immersed in languages, both as a learner and as a teacher. She began learning Latin as a child, then pursued French independently through immersion in France and Québec. She's currently learning Dari, Spanish, and Portuguese.

In addition to her work in language education, Eliyah has built a career in communications, working as a communications manager and consultant. This professional background deepened her expertise in clarity, empathy, and connection—skills that naturally strengthen her approach to teaching. She directed language immersion camps in Québec City, leading both English immersion programs for French-speaking children and French immersion programs for English-speaking children. She has also taught French in small group settings and tutored English for French and Spanish speakers of all ages.

At home, Eliyah has raised her three children bilingually, weaving French into their daily lives and giving them a strong foundation in language from an early age. They are now learning Spanish and Portuguese as a family. Outside of teaching, she is a novelist and finds inspiration in cooking, gardening, reading, sauna, and cold plunging. Her teaching reflects the same blend of creativity, discipline, and curiosity that shapes every part of her life.

Shane Doyle

Spanish Instructor

Shane’s passion for languages began in middle school after checking out a Spanish phrasebook from the library; a small moment that would shape his life and lead him to take Spanish and French classes at school. Inspired by his engaging teachers, Shane went on to earn dual bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and French from Portland State University, along with a certificate in World Language Pedagogy in 2023. During his time at PSU, he served as the French Club Secretary and Social Media Manager for two years. He earned his Master’s in Education with a focus on world language instruction in 2025 from PSU.

Over the years, Shane has dabbled in several other languages, including Italian, Japanese, Esperanto, German, and Dutch. Continuing to learn new languages himself helps him stay connected to the learner’s perspective and empathize with his students’ struggles.

Before joining Sepia Language Study, Shane taught high school Spanish and French in Oregon, where he taught with a student-centered, active learning approach. He is passionate about helping learners feel comfortable taking risks, celebrating progress, and expressing their creativity through language. He also collaborated with colleagues to strengthen the school’s world language curriculum and led cultural projects such as Día de los Muertos art activities and French Club events that brought global culture to life.

At Sepia, Shane looks forward to continuing to inspire curiosity, confidence, and connection through language. Outside the classroom, he enjoys reading, creative writing, traveling, hiking, and playing cozy video games.