LPS-San Jose Faculty

Elicia Blackford (Spanish)
Undergraduate School: UCLA, 2008
Credential/Graduate School: Single Subject English and Spanish from Stanford University, 2010
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Favorite hobbies: Reading and going to Disneyland
Favorite subjects: English and Spanish of course!
Favorite books: Harry Potter!!
Favorite movie: The entire X-Men series

Lynne Marie Theresa Brady (Resource)
Undergraduate School: University of New York
Graduate School: University of Texas
Hometown: I was born on an island, then started traveling with my parents at three months old.  I am a child of the world - literally - having lived all over the world in childhood & adulthood.
Favorite Hobbies: I enjoy outdoor hobbies/sports like gardening, hiking, biking, backpacking, kayaking, mountain climbing, world travel adventures.
Favorite Subjects:The natural sciences are my favorite subjects of all (botany, geology, physical science, biology, etc).
Favorite Books: Tom Clancy is my over-all favorite author, but truly - I LOVE TO READ!
Favorite Movies: For movies, I like musicals sometimes, espionage other times and hokey ones, too.
Why I am a Teacher: I went into teaching because I wanted to make a genuine difference.
Memorable moment from teaching:When a former student introduces me to a family member and tells them that I am the one who was toughest on them, but made the biggest difference in their life that year, then I know I accomplished my goal.

Hana Chen (Social Studies)
Undergraduate School: University of Rochester
Graduate School: State University at Albany
Hometown: Syracuse New York 
Favorite Hobbies: Exercising, reading, working on my house and watching Syracuse basketball! 
Favorite Subjects: My favorite subject in school was always history and government and I am so happy to be teaching those two courses here at LPS. 

Kristy Cross (Spanish)

Undergraduate School: UC Santa Barbara (B.A. Spanish 2001)
Credential: Single Subject Teaching Credential (Spanish) from UC Santa Barbara
Graduate School: UC Santa Barbara  (M.Ed)

Hometown: San Jose 
Favorite hobbies: Outdoors activities (nature), travel, spending time with my dogs, friends and family and eating exotic foods
Favorite subjects: World language
Favorite books: Sense and Sensibility
Favorite movie: Tough one! I have so many! Perhaps "The Mirror has Two Faces"

Why you got into teaching: I have always loved education and my life was deeply touched by some wonderful teachers. I have a passion to give that gift to my students. 
Memorable moment: When I took students abroad and watched their Spanish come alive. It made me cry to see my students riding horses with gauchos at an estancia in Argentina.

Brooks Doughterty (Science)

Undergraduate School: UC Berkeley 2011
Graduate School: Loyola Marymount

Hometown:  San Diego, CA
Favorite hobbies:  Playing basketball, skate or snowboarding, listening to music, and going to the beach.
Favorite subjects:  Geography, Environmental Science, Social Studies, Sociology
Favorite books:  Too many
Favorite movie:  Too many

Why you got into teaching:  Because we need more effective leaders to prepare our kids for the future in a quickly changing, increasingly interconnected world, and I love working with young people.
Memorable moment:  Working after school with students who showed incredible growth in geometry, and my students at Hamilton High in LA not wanting to leave after the last day of class because they knew I wasn't coming back.

Greg Garcia (English)
Undergraduate:  A.A., Sociology & Liberal Arts, West Valley College, 2004 and B.A., Philosophy, San Jose State University, 2005
Credential: English from University of Phoenix, 2008
Graduate School:  MA, Education, University of Phoenix, 2008
Hometown:  Detroit, Michigan
Favorite Hobbies:  Martial arts, hiking, cycling, meditation
Favorite Subjects:  Education, philosophy, social change, health, self-defense
Favorite Authors:  Paulo Coehlo, Paulo Freire, Bruce Lee, Dave Lowry, Alasdair MacIntyre, Bertrand Russell, Carl Sagan, John Searle, Matthew Woodring Stover
Favorite Movies:  The Dark Knight, Glory, Inception, The Last Samurai, Star Wars
Why I am a Teacher: I have been, and always will be, a student. Somewhere along that path, I was asked to help guide other students, so now I share...is that teaching?
Memorable moment from Teaching: The most memorable and rewarding moments in my career have been when my students become my teachers.

Charles Ku (Dean/Technology)

Undergraduate: UCLA, 1995

Credential: Social Studies from UCLA and Educational Administration from SJSU

Hometown: Danville, CA

Favorite Hobbies: Running

Favorite Subjects: Politics

Favorite Movies: Star Trek - just the even ones.

Why I am a Teacher: Because it's one of the few jobs that makes I can feel good about doing.

Memoriable moment: Getting in contact with an old student that told me I was the reason why she became a Feminist Chicana.

Timothy Lombard (Social Studies)
Undergraduate School: Utah State University
Credential: Intern Credential/PPS Credential from Alliant University/San Jose State University
Graduate School: SJSU
Why I am a Teacher: I enjoy working and educating youth.

Sarah Macway (Science)

Undergraduate School: Stanford, 2010
Credential: Single Subject Science: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science from Stanford
Graduate School: Stanford 2011

Hometown: Louisville, KY
Favorite hobbies: hiking, reading, traveling, playing board games
Favorite subjects: marine biology, California ecosystems
Favorite books: Sudoku
Favorite movie: Chocolat, Star Trek (2009)

Why you got into teaching: Science is awesome. I love that I get to share it with students.
Memorable moment from teaching/life: doing a flash mob during lunch to "Forget You" in front of all of my students.

Manuel Martinez (Safety)

Coming Soon!

Allison McCarty (English)
Undergraduate School: Stanford '06, BA in American Studies
Credential: English from Stanford '07
Graduate School: Stanford '07, MA in Education
Hometown: Whittier, CA (east of LA)
Favorite Hobbies: running, yoga, reading
Favorite Subjects: English, History, and once upon a time, I also loved math
Favorite Books: East of Eden by John Steinbeck, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Favorite Movie: "Little Miss Sunshine," "Good Will Hunting," "An Education"
Why I am Teacher: In a class in college about the history race and ethnicity in America, our class spent two days talking about education.  I, however, spent the rest of the semester thinking about education and how inequitable it can be at times.  I decided I wasn't okay with just letting the status quo continue, so I became I teacher.
Memorable Moment from Teaching: If I had to pick one, I'd say it was an email I got from a student at the end of my first year of teaching at LPS, thanking me for introducing him to his role model, the character Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter. I had taught that book that year even though many people thought it would be too difficult or too old-fashioned for my students to be able to understand.

Mary Mendez (English)
Undergraduate School: St. Mary's College of CA, 2009
Credential: Single-Subject English
Credential School:/ Graduate School: Stanford University 2010
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Favorite Hobbies: Baking/cooking, yoga
Favorite Subjects: English!
Why I am a Teacher: I was an English major in college, and wasn't sure what to do with it. I did a month-long internship at a high school during my senior year of college. During that month, I worked with Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors in their English classes. By the end of the month, I knew that I wanted to teach, and I started applying to credential programs. The best part was at the end of the month, when one of my students brought me a cookie "for being such a good teacher" and my students made me a card that was bigger than me :)

Cecilia Mendoza (Operations)

Coming Soon!

Alex Moos (Science)

Undergraduate School: B.S. Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz (2010)
Credential: Single Subject Physics from University of California, Santa Cruz
Graduate School: M.A. Education, University of California, Santa Cruz (2011)

Hometown: Elsberry, Missouri
Favorite hobbies: Football, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, hiking, BBQing, being outdoors, cars, and music.
Favorite subjects: Physics, Chemistry, History, Math, and Lunch.
Favorite books: Physics of Superheros, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, A Brief History of Time, and Of Mice and Men.
Favorite movie: Star Wars, Back to the Future Trilogy, Forest Gump, any superhero movie, Transformers, All the Die Hards, pretty much any action movie or comedy.

Why you got into teaching: I became interested in teaching because  I want to encourage young people to look at the world thought a scientific lens. Because, as Richard Feynamnn said, "you gotta stop and think about it ... to really get the pleasure about the complexity; the inconceivable nature of nature." When you learn physics you can start to make sense of the world in which we live.
Memorable moment from teaching: One of my most memorable moments in teaching was joining the staff at LPS-San Jose. It is nice to be surrounded by people who understand the importance of education and the empowerment that goes along with it.

Connor O'Steen (Math)
Connor O'Steen went to the University of Chicago, where he majored in Political Science and South Asian Languages. He is receiving his credential in High School math from Loyola Marymount University, in conjunction with Teach For America. Connor is originally from Boulder, Colorado and enjoys hiking, reading, and writing.

Ana Olazava (Counselor)
Undergraduate School: UC Santa Cruz 2005
Credential: Pupil Personnel Services 2010 from San Jose State University
Graduate School: San Jose State University
Hometown: Compton, CA
Favorite Hobbies: Reading, watching TV, running, being at the beach :)
Favorite Subjects: English, History
Favorite Books: umm, Harry Potter, Great Expectations, The Force of Character
Favorite Movie: The Fifth Element and Aladdin
Why I got into Counseling: I became a counselor because when I was in HS it was with the help of outreach counselors that I graduated and enrolled in a university. It is a way to continue helping youth achieve their dreams.
Memorable Moment from Counseling: When two of my first students invited me to their college graduation. :)

Devin Ozdogu (English)

Undergraduate School: UCLA '04
Credential: Clear Credential in Secondary English from Stanford
Graduate School: Stanford

Hometown: Irvine (California), Vancouver (British Columbia)
Favorite hobbies: traveling, cooking/baking, Crossfit, rock climbing, hiking
Favorite subjects: English, Social Science, Art, Music, Math, Science, Philosophy, Foreign Languages, Health & Nutrition, etc.
Favorite books: 100 Years of Solitude, Beloved, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Favorite movie: The Insider, Pan's Labyrinth, Good Will Hunting

Why you got into teaching: Personally, I love the teaching/learning process. On a larger scale, I believe that education is the best way we can solve social ills such as poverty, inequity, discrimination, oppression, and environmental degradation.
Memorable moment from teaching: My heart is lifted each time a senior comes back to LPS and thanks me for preparing them for college.

Andy Robinson (Drama)
Undergraduate School: University of California, Santa Cruz (Graduated 2007 with College Honors and the Highest Honors in the Major)
Credential: Single Subject English
Graduate School: Masters in Secondary Education, University of Phoenix (Graduation in 2011)
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Favorite Hobbies: Poetry, Music Recording, Watching movies, Seeing plays and concerts, Eating, Spending time with friends and family
Favorite Subjects: English, History, Drama & Performing Arts
Favorite Books: The Piano Lesson and Fences by August Wilson, A Lesson Before Dying by Reg E. Gaines, Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Friere, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, The Rose that Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur, A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez
Favorite Movie: The Hurricane, The Royal Tenenbaums, American History X, The Princess Bride, Major League, X, Slam, I Know I’m Not Alone, and so many more!!
Why I am a Teacher:  I love working with youth, and helping young people find their path is one of my greatest passions.  I have also seen the power that art and writing can hold to transform lives; I feel blessed to be able to share that power with the students at LPS – San Jose. Performing Arts changed my life in incredibly positive ways, and I love sharing the transformational power of art and education with my students each and every day. 
Memorable Moment from Teaching: Watching students step up and perform their artwork on stage, both in the Leadership Showcases and our first full-length theatrical production, brought me a sense of joy and pride as great as anything I have ever experienced.

Alvin Akira Alinea Rosales (Math)
Undergraduate School: Santa Clara University [2003] - Finance Major - Operations Management Information Systems Minor
Credential: Multiple Subject Clear Credential at Loyola Marymount University [2008] Single Subject in Foundational Math at National University [2009]
Graduate School: Loyola Marymount University - Masters in Elementary Education [2007]
Hometown: Pacifica, CA
Favorite Hobbies: Hip-Hop, Food, Travel, Community Organizing
Favorite Subjects: Math & Art
Favorite Books: "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" and "Tuesdays with Morrie"
Favorite Movie: Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Why I am a Teacher: There are things in this society that need to change.  Adults have a tendency to call these changes impossible.  The youth on the other hand, "do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation."  I want to help youth achieve the impossible.
Memorable Moment from Teaching: Every moment that a student teaches ME something about life!

Vanessa Sifuentes (Principal)

Undergraduate School: UCLA,2002
Credential: English from UC Berkeley
Graduate School: UC Berkeley

Hometown: San Jose
Favorite hobbies: Running, reading
Favorite subjects: English
Favorite books: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Like Water for Chocolate, Rain of Gold

Why you got into teaching: I want to impact my community in a positive way by helping to provide quality schools where students are supported on their way to college. I want my students to have a better life, to be successful, and to become leaders in their communities.
Memorable moment from teaching: Watching my first group of students graduate from high school and head off to college.

Vicky Tarumoto (Dean/Social Studies)
Undergraduate School: UC Santa Cruz (2003)
Credential: MAT from UC Santa Cruz (2004) and PPS from SJSU (2010)
Hometown: Santa Cruz transplant via Saratoga
Favorite Hobbies: cooking/baking, watching sports, reading, hiking and art
Favorite Subjects: psychology, history, chemistry, english
Favorite Books: Too many to list, although The Alchemist is the first that comes to mind
Why I am a Teacher: It encompassed everything I wanted to do when I grew up
Memorable Moment from Teaching: Seeing my previous students graduate from college

Long Truong (Math)

Undergraduate School: Santa Clara University

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Michelle Perez Victorio (Math)
Undergraduate School: Santa Clara University, Mathematics
Credential: Single-Subject Math
Graduate: Masters in Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Why I am a Teacher: I got into teaching because I want to make a difference in the world - one classroom at a time, one school at a time, one community at a time. I believe that teachers can revolutionize the teaching of mathematics to make it engaging for all students.
Memorable Moment in Teaching: A student visited me during my prep last year to let me know how much he misses my class. He revealed that during that school year he and everyone important to him had given up on him, except me. He reminisced how everyday I gave him a handout and a pencil and told him that I had confidence that he could complete the problems. There had not been a day during that year that I stopped believing in him. He simply stopped by to say thank you.

Kelly Herman Wager (Resource)

Coming Soon!