Karina Reyes
Karina is the person behind the Saint Mary method. University Professor of English with two master's degrees from the United Kingdom, she founded the school in 2008 and has personally led every class, every immersion and every academic decision for fifteen years.
In April 2026 she signed the official representation of Hilderstone College for Argentina, making Saint Mary the first school in the country endorsed by the most prestigious college in the Kent educational corridor.
Thirty years building what Saint Mary is today.
- 1998Buenos Aires
University Professor of English
Graduates from the University of Buenos Aires with a University Professor of English degree. She begins teaching at bilingual schools in western Greater Buenos Aires.
- 2002Ramsgate · Kent · UK
M.A. in English Language
She completes her first master's at Churchill House School of English in Ramsgate. Here she discovers the immersion pedagogy that would later become the Saint Mary method.
- 2005London · UK
M.A. in English Literature
Second master's at Bloomsbury International (London). She deepens her knowledge in classical and contemporary British literature, a focus she transmits to her advanced students.
- 2008Hurlingham · Buenos Aires
Founds Saint Mary School of English
Opens the school at Malaspina 1560, Hurlingham. Begins with three students. From day one she establishes the five principles of the method: 100% English classes, authentic materials, teachers with real UK experience.
- 2012First immersion
First group trip to the United Kingdom
She takes the first group of students to Churchill House (Ramsgate). 12 people. Personal accompaniment at every stage of the trip. The tradition is established and continues today.
- 2018Professional recognition
Corporate trainer
Adds the role of corporate trainer for Argentine companies in professional English. She works with teams from Mercado Libre, Globant, IRSA, among others.
- 2026April 2026 · Major milestone
Official Hilderstone College Representation
Karina signs with Angharad Sanders, principal of Hilderstone College, the official representation for Argentina. Saint Mary becomes the first Argentine school endorsed by the most prestigious college in Kent.
- 2027Next stage
Madrid and Kent locations open
Karina personally coordinates the launch of the two European locations. Madrid (Spain) and Kent (United Kingdom) with the Saint Mary method intact.
Karina in action
Classrooms, trips, training, leadership. The routine of someone who runs a school and still teaches every week.
Two countries, three decades of continuous learning.
The full academic record. The titles that back the method.
- '98University Professor of EnglishUniversidad de Buenos Aires · UBA
- '02M.A. English LanguageChurchill House School · Ramsgate · Kent
- '05M.A. English LiteratureBloomsbury International · London
- '14Bilingual Pedagogy DiplomaUniversidad Católica Argentina · UCA
- '19Corporate Training SpecializationBritish Council · Buenos Aires
- '26Official Hilderstone College RepresentativeHilderstone College · Broadstairs · UK
My vision for
Saint Mary.
When I started teaching in 1998, English academies in Argentina taught grammar. Verb lists, translation, mechanical exams. I didn't learn English that way. I learned it living it in Kent, in London, in pubs and libraries. That's why when I founded Saint Mary in 2008, I decided we would teach the only way I know works: through immersion.
The Saint Mary method is not a new methodology. It's the natural methodology: how an English child learns to speak English. They get inside the language, listen, try, make mistakes, correct themselves. And they learn it. They don't study it. They learn it.
In fifteen years I have seen hundreds of students pass through Hurlingham. Some today live in London, others are parents who send their children to the school. That continuity is the proof that the method works: it's not a promise, it's a result.
Now we open Madrid and Kent. It's not expansion for expansion's sake: it's because the method is already tested and we want more people to be able to live it. In Madrid we take the method to European Spanish speakers. In Kent we return to the place where I learned it, now on the other side of the classroom.
Want to talk directly with Karina?
One-to-one meetings for parents, advanced students and companies. Direct calendar, no middlemen.