Meet Karyn Koven | Education Innovator/ Founder/CEO LanguageBird

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karyn Koven and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karyn, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
Many people start a business thinking they have to grow very quickly or raise money. I think there is a lot of glorification of that type of startup life with a steep climb and big potential exit. It’s exciting and the right path for some, for sure. It’s just not the way most businesses are started or run. I’m really passionate about what I do. Creating educational programs is an art to me. I enjoy the work, so I don’t think of my school as much of a business than a means to provide an excellent option for education for many as well as flexible and meaningful jobs for instructors all over the world. I strive to create a great place to work and bring on team members who are also passionate about education. Our student feedback and their learning results show what we are doing and how we are doing it matters. I would advise others to look at all models of business if you want to start your own business. There is not just one way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded LanguageBird in 2015 to focus on middle and high school opportunities for language learning and cultural exploration. LanguageBird represents a new frontier in the K-12 educational environment with flexible online programs. World language courses are required for acceptance into four-year colleges; however, I witnessed a lack of options for students I advised at a nationally recognized Los Angeles charter high school. I found online courses for world language learning simply do not work well without a teacher interacting spontaneously with the student or the conversation component. Learning a language requires constant interaction and speaking, not just listening and repeating. LanguageBird was born from the concept of providing live instruction from high quality teachers with the convenience of an online classroom. The goal is for students to take personalized, high-quality, interactive and college-preparatory world language classes anywhere -even from their own home.

One of the reasons I feel our model is important is because LanguageBird teaches world languages through celebrating language, diversity, culture, travel, globalization, and relationship building while utilizing the practical technology students will need in future careers. Our students connect one-to-one with an engaged, native-level instructor for self-paced language learning and cultural discovery. We offer courses for High School and Middle School credit, conversational lessons, tutoring & test prep services, and even school partnerships to help other institutions expand the number of languages they offer and provide students with support they need. Adults and organizations with language needs for travel or business communication have also reached out for individual lessons. We have also recently partnered with Avant STAMP to offer the opportunity for language speakers of all ages to earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy. Travel abroad experiences are also offered to fully immerse students in language and culture and enable them to meet their instructors in-person.

Learning at LanguageBird is project-based and celebrates students’ competency, creativity, and cultural awareness. While many schools struggle to adapt to an online environment, we have pushed ahead by creating a culturally immersive experience for students accessible from anywhere. LanguageBird is the only online language school focused on relationship building, trust, and language through sharing of culture, not computer feedback and software. Teachers customize courses to meet and address the varied needs of all learners. A textbook-free curriculum allows teachers to curate materials to appeal to student interests; for example, our students can learn Italian through cooking, Spanish through baseball, Korean through K-Pop, Hebrew through geography, and Russian through dance or a traditional tea ceremony. When you hook a student through personal interests and attach meaning to the learning – magic! We are proud to offer more diverse languages than any other accredited online school for teens, and in doing so, we open the world to students. We are about connecting with real people, not software.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If someone had one day, would take a friend to LACMA or to the Getty Museum and follow that with a walk down Montana Ave., some shopping and food and then end up at the park overlooking Santa Monica beach and the view of the pier. To me, that is iconic LA. There are so many vastly different neighborhoods in LA, it would depend on what they wanted to see – it’s all different! I’m a rare LA native and I love when people come to visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is to my mentors past and present. My dad is a great inspiration to me, and he started a school of psychology so he has many prospectives to share. My mother is also a great support to me and wonderful listener. I’ve had great role models throughout my career who have demonstrated, taught, and coached me all along the way. Dr. Doris Lasiter, Roberta Weintraub, Marsha Rybin, Michelle Gilman and my Women’s President Organization group of female business owners have all served as role models and support for me through the years.

Website:  https://www.languagebird.com/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/languagebird/

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/languagebird; https://www.linkedin.com/in/karynkoven/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/language_bird

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LanguageBird/

Other:  https://www.tiktok.com/@languagebird

Image Credits
photos taken by Phoebe Solomon