Karla Vescovi graduated from UIUC with a concentration in Asian studies and also has obtained masters degrees in Education Administration as well as in Education and Social Policy.  She lived in Japan for two years and returns to Japan frequently; she now teaches Japanese in the Chicago suburbs.  Vescovi has served on the the Illinois State Board of Education Content Advisory committee for the Japanese Certification Test and is currently the vice president of the Illinois Association of Teachers of Japanese.  She will serve on the Executive Board of the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers in fall of 2006.