Heather Davis grew up on Long Island, New York and has lived in several regions of the country. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Child Development from the University of Georgia (2001) and spent the first 15 years of her career working in public teacher education. Read more

Kristin Edwards, M.Ed, is the Director & Founder of Lifetime Montessori School and Co-Founder of La Jolla Montessori School. Her mission is to provide a quality Montessori environment for children to help prepare them to become Joyful learners and problem solvers. Kristin Founded Lifetime Montessori school in 2007. She and her team built Lifetime Montessori school from scratch into a 180 student toddler-thru-elementary school powerhouse. In addition to her duties at Lifetime Montessori, Kristin serves as a pedagogical advisor for La Jolla Montessori School.Read more

Ms. Hannah Welch is from Albany, NY, and recently moved to San Diego to pursue her dream of living in California by the beach. She loves helping others and making everyone’s job easier so she has always thrived in administrative work. Hannah loves being around children and knew La Jolla Montessori School would be the best fit as she truly believes it is the best way for a child to learn and grow. Read more

Ms. Asa received her AMI Montessori Diploma from the Montessori Institute of San Diego in 2018, followed by completing her Master’s Degree in Montessori Education from Loyola University, Maryland in 2019. She has worked in AMI Montessori schools since 2016. Read more

Ms. Lilia Garcia received her Associate's Degree in Early Education from Southwestern College in 2006 and then her AMI Assistants to Infancy and Primary Diploma for children ages 0-6 years old from The Montessori Institute of San Diego (MISD). Read more

Ms. Angela Leyva has been teaching in Montessori environments for over 10 years. She graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development and studied abroad in Avila, Spain for 6 months. Upon her return, she attended The Montessori Institute of San Diego where she trained as an ‘assistant to infancy’ (0-3 years). Read more

Ms. Andrea moved to San Diego from Cancún, México in 2019 in order to complete the AMI training course at the Montessori Institute of San Diego (MISD). Having grown up with a really big family on her mom's side, Ms. Andrea knew she always liked being around children. She created her own daycare for her cousin’s children. Read more

Ms. Yvette Medina has been guiding young children for the past 10 years - first as an assistant and then as a Head Guide. She also spent a year working for Rady’s Children’s Hospital supporting 1:1 behavior therapy for children with developmental delays. She received her American Montessori Society (AMS) Toddler Diploma in 2013 from the Centro de Ensenanza Montessori and is currently working on her Master's Degree in Special Education at the Universidad Humanitas. Read more

Ms. Mara Smith holds an AA in Child Development, a BA in Liberal Arts, a public-school teaching credential, and an AMI Primary degree. When she started her educational journey, she fell in love with working with children. Her journey started when she took her first course in child development and decided that was where she wanted to focus her future. Mara worked in a traditional elementary classroom for two years. After that, she worked as a Montessori teacher for eight years. Read More

Ms. Carmen Gaxiola was born in Torreon Coahuila, Mexico. She has been an AMI Montessori Guide for over two decades. Ms. Carmen studied English at St. Louis University in St. Louis Missouri and earned a degree in Education Administration from Anahuac University in Mexico City. She studied Montessori in 1999 at the Montessori Institute of San Diego (MISD). Read more

Ms. Natasha Garcia is a native San Franciscan who relocated to San Diego to pursue Montessori training. She graduated from San Francisco State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education. With 13 years of experience as a teacher and former preschool Director, Ms. Natasha has always believed in the transformative nature of a Montessori education for young children. Read more

Ms. Radhiya Mohammed is originally from Iraq and came to San Diego 13 years ago. She joined the LJMS team in 2021 as an assistant teacher for our aftercare program. As our ‘go-to’ substitute teacher, Ms. Radhiya has experience stepping into the role of English Speaking Guide in each of our primary classrooms. Working in collaboration with the Guides, she developed an aftercare program inspired by Montessori principles. Read more

Ms. America Villa is from Los Ángeles, California but grew up in Tijuana. Five years ago, she started working in a traditional elementary school, but when she had the opportunity to work at La Jolla Montessori, she didn't think twice about taking the job! Ms. America really loves working at La Jolla Montessori School and believes the Montessori method is the best way for a child to learn. Read more

Ms. Michelle is a second-generation Montessori Guide. She found herself constantly in her mother’s environment (classroom) from a young age. She remembers observing how every child works differently and how the materials made the children feel independent and part of a community. And, she remembers her mother’s big smile going to work each day. Read more

Ms. Nayibe Martin grew up in Colombia and has lived in California for the past 14 years. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher, even from a young age. She loves children and the beauty they bring into the world. She wants to help them develop into the beautiful people they are destined to become. After the many hours she dedicates to teaching young children, Ms. Nayibe (or Yibe) feels as though she is doing something right when she hears a child say ‘I love you’. Read more

Ms. Rosie Quinlan is originally from Jupiter, Florida and moved to Santa Barbara in 2017. While living in Santa Barbara, she attended Santa Barbara City College and received her Associate’s Degree in Social Sciences. Ms. Rosie moved to San Diego a couple of years ago to attend the University of California in San Diego, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Read more

Ms. Prisciliana Pineda is an experienced caregiver and has worked with elderly adults in both in-home and residential care settings. She graduated in 2012 from Health Sciences High and Middle College and went on to receive her Associate's Degree in Biomedical Science from Mesa College in 2015. For a while now, it has been her dream to shift her caregiving focus to serving young children and their families. She has experience connecting with families surrounding their caregiving concerns and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Read more