Miriam was born in the city of Torreón, México. After finishing her studies as an accountant and secretary she came to the US and decided to study Early Childhood Education at American College in San Francisco. She loves her job as a teacher and everything that relates to child development.

Janira Is originally from Peru and has been working at EBI in Aventura since 2013 in Kinder and First Grade. In 2015 she received her units in Early Childhood Education. 

Robert is originally from Oregon where he received a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and animal science. He holds a master’s degree in organic agriculture and a postgraduate certificate in education. Robert has experience teaching biology, chemistry and physics, as well as geology, English, and geography to middle and high school students. He also has experience working with the IB Middle Years Programme, and has been supervisor for the Middle Years Programme Personal Project.

 

Ernesto Rousseaux was born in Cuba, and received his Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education and Sports. He worked with students of all ages in Cuba, from lower school through university. He has experience teaching physical education to diverse learners. At EBI Ernesto has been an Aventura teacher, substitute teacher, second grade physical education teacher and as a coach for most of EBI middle school sports teams. This year he will be expanding his role as athletics director and physical education teacher. Ernesto will teach P.E. to kindergarteners and first graders.

Sandra was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela where she earned her degree in Computer Science at Intituto Universitario de Tecnología Venezuela. She has over five years of experience teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She worked as a Spanish Instructor and Director Assistant in Houston, Texas where she lived for 5 years. Sandra also has over 10 years of expertise in networking technology. Sandra has been part of the EBI family since 2006. Sandra has managed the operations and technology of the school over the last three years. Sandra is married and the mother of one son.

Merly Vicente was born in Lima, Peru and has a degree in Law and Political Science. Five years ago, she arrived to the Bay Area with the goal of working in the bilingual educational system. Working with children has given her a different perspective on life and changed her values and feelings in a way that causes her to feel more creative and productive within the community. Merly believes the multiculturalism in EBI is very important in a child’s life. Merly completed studies for teacher in early childhood education. She continues studying to remain current in the area of education and to enrich her work with children.

Paulina is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. Paulina holds a bacherlor’s degree in pedagogy and another in early childhood education. Paulina has been working with kindergarten-aged students for seven years and with the IB Primary Years Programme since 2009.

Pat comes to the school after many years of corporate accounting and finance, most recently as Director of Finance at NetApp. Prior to that she was with Safeway as CFO / VP Finance for the IT Dept. She has significant experience building financial organizations, standardizing policies and procedures, and managing costs. Long term planning and business modeling are also strengths. Pat has her CPA and also has degrees from UC Berkeley and University of Arizona.
Pat has lived most of her life in the East Bay, having been born in Oakland and now residing in Walnut Creek. She and her husband, Steve, have two daughters, both living in San Diego. In her spare time she enjoys lots of outdoor activities, including hiking with her dogs, biking, kayaking and camping.

Norma is from Puerto Rico. She came to Oakland, CA in 2000 and has been a member of the EBI faculty since August, 2007. Norma received her degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico. She has worked as a special education teacher, in regular school programs and as a tutor. She loves to share her energy, her talents and knowledge with children and the EBI community. Norma has two children and a granddaughter. Besides her passion for working with children, she also enjoys sewing, designing and cooking.

Sagrario Argüelles was born and raised in Mexico City. She has experience as an Elementary School teacher for over twenty-eight years and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Sagrario has worked in different schools in Mexico City, the last being the American School Foundation where she worked as a teacher, grade level coordinator and dean.

As a teacher Sagrario’s goal is to prepare students for the future. The Primary Years Program of IB reflects all her beliefs as a teacher. Sagrario is very fortunate to have had the opportunity of work with this program for over 10 years.

As an educator Sagrario believes that the journey is as important as the destination. She aims to be a guide to her students and mentor them through their journey of knowledge and achievement, helping them to grow to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open–minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

Chingyi Cao was born and raised in China. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Music and Education. She has more than 10 years of experience in teaching Mandarin. She loves working with children. Her goal is to teach and interact with children in creative ways that establish a foothold for learning the Mandarin language. She hopes they will also be inspired to observe and experience different cultural values, Chinese history and arts.

Julie earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from William and Mary College and has a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Education from Stanford University. She has taught lower school students and supervised student teachers at Mills College laboratory school. She has worked closely with education faculty to bridge theory and practice through lesson study. Julie has taught graduate courses in children’s social, emotional and intellectual development and advised graduate students in thesis research at the University of California, Berkeley. She also taught graduate courses in Philosophy of Education and served as thesis advisor to graduate students in Education at Stanford University.

Carlota is originally from Madrid, Spain where she completed a bachelor’s degree in history and archeology. She also has a postgraduate degree in education. Carlota has most recently been a 1st grade associate teacher at EBI where she has immersed herself in and learning about the IB Primary Years Programme.

Jennifer holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru, where she grew up. She completed undergraduate work in early childhood education at the Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón in Peru. Jennifer has worked in early childhood education for over 18 years, both in Peru and the United States. This extensive experience has supported her to develop a deep understanding of how young learners make meaning of themselves and the world around them. After moving to the Bay Area, Jennifer studied educational administration at San Francisco State University, where she received her master’s degree. In addition to teaching, Jennifer has several years of experience as a pre-kinder director. Jennifer’s educational philosophy aligns closely with that of the International Baccalaureate, and she is anxious to share her extensive knowledge of early childhood education with our community. In addition to being a new EBI team member, Jennifer is an incoming EBI parent with twins entering pre-kinder in the fall. Jennifer’s partner, José Antonio, is EBI’s Middle Years Programme coordinator and middle school individuals and societies teacher.

 

Lya Gómez, is an architect, landscape architect and artist. She has worked on projects in Venezuela, Spain and the United States. She moved with her family from Scottsdale, Arizona to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003, where she has been working as a landscape design consultant since 2006. Throughout her career she has taught, building and refining a model of Art and Design education for youth.

Kelly Levy is from Seattle, Washington. She received her Bachelor's degree in Economics from Duke University and holds a Masters of Education from UCLA. Kelly has taught lower elementary school for eight years, including four years as a reading specialist. Kelly is excited to join the EBI community and continue to grow as an educator. She will be joining the Alcatraz lower school team as a full-time kindergarten and first grade English teacher.

Adwoa was born in Berkeley and has lived almost every place in the Bay Area except San Francisco. She has been working with children since she was a child. Adwoa began work as a Multicultural Education Specialist. Since then she has worked as an aide, Director of an After-School program, a P.E. Teacher, a trainer of English Language Teachers, a first, second, and third grade teacher, and a science, math and English teacher. Adwoa has taught science to students kindergarten through high school, math to students from pre-school to college, and all other subjects, including English, from pre-school through elementary school.
Adwoa graduated from Mills College with a degree in Biology. She did graduate work in physiological psychology. She obtained her teaching credential from Chapman University. Outside of education Adwoa’s passions are baseball and blues, being a mom to Shannon Kofi, and making the world a better place, not necessarily in that order. She loves working and playing with children. Adwoa is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to teach at a wonderful school.

Karen Hayes spent the first 18 years of her career in Sales & Marketing at a global consumer products firm. As an executive, Karen traveled extensively both nationally and internationally
creating and executing strategic selling platforms, re-launching billion dollar brands and developing retention work processes for top talent. 

After giving birth to her son in 2012, Karen decided that she wanted to embark on a new professional journey in life as well.

In 2014, Karen founded and launched Bounce Blowdry Bar. Her goal was to create an environment where women of all backgrounds could come together and celebrate their beauty- both inside and out. Bounce quickly became a success and was recognized by national media powerhouses such as Good Morning America and the New York Times for unique contributions in the community.

Karen received her B.S. in Marketing from Howard University and her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. In the community, Karen has been an active member of the Big Brother, Big Sister program, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and has served as a volunteer tutor. She also contributed to the development of those pursuing a higher education by working as a college instructor for Business Management courses.

Karen loves spending time with her family, exploring new cuisines, traveling and volunteering in the community. What excites Karen most about joining the EBI team is having the opportunity to be a positive force in a changing world where our children are the future.