My name is Helene Alpini and I founded AlpiLingual to help local Austin families learn Italian, French, and German. AlpiLingual's learning programs are a reflection of my professional and personal journey through Europe, starting in Rome and ending in Zurich. I grew up in an Italian Polish family in Texas, after which I moved to Rome to attend university. I earned my Bachelor's in Foreign Languages and Literatures from Roma Tre, followed by a Master's Degree in Translation, Mediation, and Linguistic Sciences from La Sapienza University.
I shaped my career around immersive linguistic experiences, pursuing work opportunities in Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland. While gaining translation and interpretation skills through corporate jobs across Europe, I began teaching foreign languages to students in 2013. I have worked with children and adults of all ages and levels, accumulating cirriculum development skills applicable to teaching programs at AlpiLingual. After living and working in Europe for nearly 15 years, I moved back to Texas in 2023 and created AlpiLingual to offer Austin families an additional linguistic opportunity in Italian, French, and German.
My journey with the Italian language began more than twenty years ago as an exchange student in Calabria. During my time studying advanced Italian at university and living in Milan, Rome, and Florence, my linguistic fluency grew alongside a passion for Italy’s many diverse regional cultures. Thanks to a subsequent decade spent living in the UK, I was able to maintain my Italian language skills through frequent trips to Italy.
Since recently returning to the US, I have pursued research into Trieste’s world-renowned public mental healthcare system and rediscovered the joys of the American Italian language-learning community, first by assisting at an Italian language school in New York and now by teaching my own classes with AlpiLingual. I hold a Master’s Degree in Music from the UK and often incorporate original music into my lessons, particularly with young learners. Drawing on my experience teaching music and English to non-native speakers, I am thrilled to share my love of the Italian language and culture with my hometown of Austin. I will be working closely with South Austin families, as well as leading AlpiLingual's Ciao Bimbi! sessions.
