Meet our Lafayette Tutoring Staff

Christy received her B.A. in English in 1992 and taught 5th to 8th grade English at First Baptist Christian School for two and a half years. She also taught 9th and 10th grade reading and 11th and 12th grade study skills at St. Thomas More. In October of 1996, Christy joined Sylvan as a Director of Education and in October of 1997, she bought Sylvan and became Executive Director. Christy enjoys spending time with her 2 beautiful children.

To contact Christy via email, christysharon@sylvanacadiana.com

After graduating from UL in 1993, Troy began teaching and coaching at St. Martinville Sr. High. For several years, Troy worked at Sylvan after school and during the summer break from school. In 2004, he joined the Sylvan staff full time, assuming the role of Center Director. Troy enjoys introducing new families to Sylvan and keeping them informed of their student's progress throughout their program. On Saturday afternoons, you will find Troy and his family enjoying UL Ragin Cajun tailgating.

To contact Troy via email, troysharon@sylvanacadiana.com

Destini began working at our Lafayette Center in 2018 as a classroom assistant. After graduating from at UL, Destini was hired full-time and has recently been promoted to Assistant Center Director. Destini's favorite thing about working at Sylvan is, “Getting to know both the teachers and the kids. It makes me very happy to be able to inspire and encourage kids to feel confident in their studies as well as feel comfortable at Sylvan!” In her free time, you can find Destini spending time with family and friends and planning for her wedding.

Tracy oversees the educational integrity of our programs in Lafayette, Broussard and New Iberia. She has been a leader at Sylvan since 2008. She brings a wealth of knowledge to Sylvan of Acadiana. She has a gift of connecting with our students, allowing her to instill lifelong skills. She devotes her energy into making sure the students succeed 100%! When Tracy isn't at Sylvan, you'll find her spending time with her son, Marshall!

Cynthia received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and taught for one year at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (currently University of Louisiana) in the Department of Human Resources. She did substitute teaching in both local public and private schools and at Lafayette Regional Institute. She began her Sylvan career in 1992. Cynthia enjoys working directly with the schools to help ensure the success of all her Sylvan students.

In addition to her work at Sylvan, Melinda Clardy is a mathematics professor at SLCC and has had a life-long desire to teach and make a difference. With a master's degree in applied mathematics, a bachelor's in pure mathematics, and experience with common core math, it's the best combination to reach a wide range of learners. When not working, Mrs. Melinda hangs out with her cats, reads excessively, and plays video games with her husband.

Kristina Dixon currently teaches a variety of levels and subjects at Sylvan, from PreK Reading & K ESL to high school algebra, geometry, and ACT prep. Kristina’s love of teaching and travel has led her to work with students both in Lafayette and abroad, specifically in India and China. Kristina has undergraduate degrees in both Mathematics and English, with a master’s degree in Mathematics and a Graduate Certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking and traveling the world.

Michaela received her B.A. in Mathematics and Physics from Berea College in Kentucky and a M.S. in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.Michaela held a math/science lecturer position at Kapi'olani Community College (KCC) in Hawaii. While at KCC Michaela taught classes such as Elemental Algebra, Fundamental Algebra, and Statistics. Prior to teaching at KCC, Micahela gained much experience tutoring both privately and professionally, as well as briefly teaching with the Upward Bound Program. She has been a Sylvan tutor at the Lafayette location since 2013 and loves working with students who are so eager to learn, especially in math and science!

Wendi has a Master's Degree in Education from LSU. She has 30 years of classroom teaching experience and specializes in English/ Language Arts, Writing, American History, World History, and Civics. Wendi is married with 2 sons. Wendi's undergraduate degree in Political Science and English. When she is not teaching, she enjoys politics.

Marc Leonard has been tutoring at Sylvan Learning Center of Lafayette since January 2008. He is certified in Health and Physical Education. He has been teaching at Carencro Catholic for five years. He enjoys tutoring students in math, reading and study skills at Sylvan Learning Center of Lafayette. His other interests include sports and music. He is from Opelousas, Louisiana, where he graduated from Opelousas Catholic High School. He went to the University of Louisiana where he earned his degree in Political Science. Mr. Marc is also very excited to be the instructor of the Video Game Design course offered at Sylvan of Lafayette!

Ashley has been a part of the Sylvan Support Staff since October of 2012. You can find Ashley assisting Sylvan Students at all 3 locations in Acadiana! She loves to read and travel. She makes a fantastic connection to students of all ages and loves to help them achieve success!

Michael studied at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana Lafayette), where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English. He started with Sylvan at the New Iberia Center in 2013 and currently divides his time between all three centers. Mr. Michael is an active member of the Iberia Performing Arts League and can often be found acting, directing and serving on committees.

Lily is a tutor  in Lafayette, with a gift for working with kids. While Lily has many tutoring talents, she finds the greatest joy in reading and writing tutoring. When Lily isn’t at Sylvan, you’ll find her reading, playing board games and hanging with her 2 cats..

Cindy has 27 years of experience teaching and has worked at several Sylvan Learning centers in Louisiana. Cindy finds joy in seeing kids faces light up when they learn a new task, "Helping students to gain confidence and self-esteem is very important!" In her spare time, you might see Cindy playing tennis, golf, doing yoga and hiking.

Christopher loves all things math and engineering. He has a Master's in Engineering and is currently working on his PhD. Christopher is the father of 4 who enjoys teaching, music production, football and spending time with his family.

Tierra graduated Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Prairie View A&M University in 2022. Tierra enjoys reading, playing softball and listening to music. Tierra loves seeing the smile on a child's face when they grasp a concept they had been struggling with. She is excited to start this fall at Southern Law School.

David received his Bachelor of Arts in English from UL and is starting graduate school in the fall. He enjoys sharing his love of reading and writing with the students at Sylvan.