Meet Our Team

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Teacher Qualifications

  • Teachers must be native Spanish speakers.
  • Teachers must have a Bachelor’s degree at a minimum.
  • Teachers must be CPR certified every two years and have background checks performed.
  • Teachers are required to have 20 hours of continuing education per year in addition to yearly immersion training, Zoo Phonics training and Handwriting without Tears training.

Meet Our Directors

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Señora DeSheaProgram Director
Señora DeShea is the Program Director and Founder of The Spanish Academy. DeShea began The Spanish Academy in September of 2001. She is a graduate of The University of Georgia with a degree in International Business. She lived in Seville, Spain in 1997. She is married and has three children. Her goal is to create a total immersion environment in which children look forward to coming to school each day while developing a lifelong love of learning and a proficiency in Spanish. She has always had a passion for children and language and loves her job!
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Señora VerónicaDirector - Buckhead
Señora Verónica the Director of the Buckhead campus & Director of Curriculum. Verónica has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2006. She began as a teacher’s assistant and quickly became a lead teacher where she taught students of all ages (toddlers – adults) throughout years and later became our Director of Curriculum. In 2018, she became the Director of the Suwanee campus.

She from Oaxaca,Mexico and has been living in Atlanta since 1995. She has a degree in Business from Universidad Unico de Guadalajara. She feels teaching young children is the most gratifying and fun experience. She has two grown children of her own and lives in Buckhead.

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Señora JocyDirector - East Cobb
Señora Jocy is from Peru. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from University of the Sacred Heart in Lima, Peru. She moved to Georgia in 2017 with her husband and two children, however she left her native country more than 10 years ago, to expand her experience in teaching young children in Europe, America and the Middle East. She has a strong passion for teaching and she believes that love and hands-on experience are the best tools for little children to learn.
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Señora Ara Director - Emory
Señora Ara is from Guadalajara, Mexico and has a degree in Communications. She also holds her Child Development Associate (CDA) Degree certified by the Councilor Professional Recognition from Washington D.C. She has been teaching for 17 years in International Schools. Originally, she was an Early Childhood Educator in her native country for 4 years and later moved to Georgia in 2003 and expanded her experience teaching young children in bilingual programs.

She currently lives in Sandy Springs with her husband and 2 daughters (and a teacup Chihuahua). She truly enjoys working with children and is a strong believer of bilingual immersion and the many benefits it has to offer. Sra. Ara enjoys cooking, arts and crafts, and traveling. She considers herself a happy person, organized and especially loving with children.

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Señora PattyDirector - Suwanee
Patricia (Patty) Xibille is from Veracruz, Mexico, and she has been living in the US since 2000. She has a Bachelor of Science in Food Science Engineering from the Institute of Technology and Superior Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) in Monterrey, Mexico. Teaching children has been her passion since high school, when she worked at summer camps and taught English at a Bilingual school in Mexico before moving to the US. After working in the private sector, she had the opportunity to pursue her true calling, working in the education field. She has been teaching preschoolers for the past 7 years and has been the preschool director of a Vacation Bible School program for the past 4 years.

She is excited to become the Director of the Suwanee campus, because she loves working with preschool children while watching them grow, learn new things, and become more confident. She is looking forward to sharing her language and culture with the children and believes introducing young children to a second language, like Spanish, gives them access to countless opportunities, broadens their cultural horizons, and gives them the best advantage in developing the pronunciation, structure, and intonation of the new language easily.

In her free time, she likes to travel with her husband and 3 kids and watch movies and sports.

A school is only as great as its teachers, and we have the best!

Meet Our Teachers

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Señora BereniceTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Bere is from Yucatan Merida, Mexico. She studied Business and Merchandising at Tec de Yucatan, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2018. She loves to cook, bake, and enjoys trying new recipes. Sra. Bere loves to explore nature and is very adventurous when spending time with her family. One of her favorite things to do is skiing and camping in national parks all over the country. She loves to learn from the students at the school, because they feels fill her with so much love and energy! She believes learning a second language will open a lot of opportunities in life.
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Señora DanyTeacher - Buckhead
Señora Dany is from Venezuela and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2018 and living in Atlanta since 2004. She has a degree in Human Resources from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela. She is married and love spending time with her husband and two daughters. She worked as a teacher for 10 years when she lived in Venezuela and she is very excited to be in a classroom teaching children again, which is her true passion.
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Señora Patty Escalona Teacher - Buckhead
Sra. Patty is from Mexico City. She studied Business in the City of Puebla, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2019. She likes to go to the gym and spend time with her kids and dogs. As a personal challenge, she has done 4 marathons. Sra. Patty likes to work with children because they have the best energy and to them, all is happiness.
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Señora JanetTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Janet is from Colima, Mexico where she studied Social Communication/Mass Media at the University of Colima. She has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2018. For Sra. Janet working with children is very fun, she knows that her job is to help kids achieve their full potential, to help them feel happier and better about themselves. Achieving this brings a huge smile to her face and makes her proud of it! She loves their endless energy, creativity and honesty. Sra. Janet knows that when children learn a second language, such as Spanish, they learn about a different culture, it doesn’t just boost their linguistic, cognitive, and social development, it sets them up for success in the future. In her free time, she loves yoga, photography, hiking, and outdoor activities.
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Señora Karin Teacher - Buckhead
Sra. Karin is from Guatemala. She studied business in her home country, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2011. She enjoys crafting, walking, and writing. Sra. Karin enjoys seeing children experience new things that help them learn and grow. She loves sharing her culture and language with her students, it makes her feel at home. She also enjoys writing, learning history and genealogy. Sra. Karin enjoys taking walks in nature and discovering new special places.
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Señora Karina Teacher - Buckhead
Señora Karina is from Caracas-Venezuela and has been living in United States since 2003. She moved to Atlanta in 2006 with a Degree in Human Resources from I.U.T “Antonio Jose de Sucre” in Venezuela. She has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2011 in Buckhead as Assistant Teacher. She Lives in Midtown, with her husband and her 8 years old son and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
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Señora LucíaTeacher - Buckhead
Señora Lucia is from Logroño, a small city in the North of Spain. She has been living in US since 2015. She has a Bachelor degree in Education from La Universidad de Valladolid.
Her decision to become a teacher was influence by her father, who was an amazing educator. This admiration for him made her follow his steps.
After finishing her college degree in Spain, She moved to the United States to teach Spanish to an American family. That was a big opportunity for her since She could improve her teaching skills and English at the same time.
Working with children of different ages helped her develop different teaching methods and strategies. Her creativity is really useful to design fun and entertaining activities for young children. It is very pleasing to see them enjoying and learning simultaneously.
“It is my goal to combine my experience and knowledge with my ability to learn new things to improve as a professional educator. Teaching is not only a career, it is my passion.”
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Señora LudyTeacher - East Cobb
Sra. Ludy is from Venezuela. She studied Early Childhood Education in Venezuela, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2017. She likes to spend time with her family. Sra. Ludy finds working with children beautiful and rewarding because, in addition to teaching them, she enjoys learning from them. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world and if it is within her reach to teach it, she would do it a thousand times. Knowing Spanish will open many doors for the children’s future.
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Señora VioletTeacher - Emory
Sra. Violet is from Venezuela. She studied law in her home country, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2017. She likes to spend time with her family, and she loves to read and dance. Sra. Violet likes to teach little children the importance of using their voices to be heard. She enjoys teaching them how to read, write, learn to share, and respect each other. She likes helping her students to develop basic life skills, both academically and emotionally. She
teaches Spanish, because it is the second most spoken language in the world and the fourth most used to communicate internationally.
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Señora CarmenTeacher - Emory
Sra. Carmen is from Lima Perú. She studied Business Administration in her home country and joined The Spanish Academy family in 2022. She likes to bake and decorate cakes. Sra. Carmen loves to see how her students are learning and maturing. She is always amazed how children at such an early age, how quickly they learn. She loves them! She thinks it is so important for a child to learn a second language from an early age, it is an early and positive impact on their future life.
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Señora MilyTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Mily is from Perú. She holds B.A. in Education from La Salle University Guadalajara, Mexico, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2022. She enjoys reading a good book. Sra. Mily loves being with children, she loves their curiosity, energy, and how they are open to life. She feels honored to be a helper and facilitator of positive experiences in their student’s development. She teaches Spanish because it is a beautiful language, and she can help others to acquire a skill for life.
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Señora EsthelaTeacher - Suwanee
Sra. Esthela was born in Detroit and raised in Mexico. She studied Science Education at Universidad de Monterrey, NL Mexico, she been working at The Spanish Academy since 2020. She loves to run and read. Sra Esthela finds teaching children is a very rewarding job, because every day she learns something new from them. She believes that working small children gives you back the ability to put aside the complexity of life when you see it from their perspective, it makes you see that each one with their differences make the group a great team. There is not a day that her students don’t make her smile. Sra. Esthela loves to teach Spanish because of the cognitive and social benefits that learning two languages bring to children and because she have the opportunity to transmit the richness of our cultural diversity.
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Señora CristinaTeacher - Suwanee
Sra. Cristina is from Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico. She studied International Business at ITESM in Monterrey. She been working at The Spanish Academy since 2021. She likes to go on hikes with her family, she also enjoys watching movies and having family nights. Sra Cristina likes to be a witness of her students learning progress. It gives her great joy when she asks them a question, and they answer back in Spanish! She truly believe that knowing two or more languages opens many doors.
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Señora RocioTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Gisela is from Argentina, but she was raised in Venezuela. She studied Business Administration-Logistics & Procedure and Methods at the Universidad Tecnológica del Centro and later pursued a Master of Management Technology from Mercer University, she joined The Spanish Academy in 2021. She enjoys being part of book clubs and riding bikes with her family. Sra. Gisela enjoys seeing her children using creativity to do free art projects and she loves to engage in their playtime. The first time she thought Spanish was as a volunteer teaching adults. It was a great experience because they wanted to learn not only the language but also the culture.
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Señora AlmaTeacher - Suwanee
Sra. Alma is originally from Mexico. She studied Elementary Education at Georgia State University, she joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. She loves to spend time with her family, listening music, and work out. Sra. Alma loves being able to teach preschool children because they are like sponges. They are able to absorb any and all knowledge given to them. She feels proud of the opportunity to be able to guide them in their learning process and such a young age.
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Señora AstridTeacher - Emory
Sra. Astrid is from Colombia. She studied Philosophy and holds a Master’s degree in Political Science. She has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2021. She likes to spend time with her family, read, eat, dance, and work out. Sra. Astrid believes that education is a great tool to impact the world in a positive way, she loves the fact that everything is amazing for our students and that helps her to live and be present at the moment. She thinks that teaching Spanish is not only about teaching the language, is also about teaching culture, traditions, food, and family. We represent our country through the language. She feels passionate and proud about teaching her first language.
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Señora AlejandraTeacher - Emory
Sra. Alejandra is from Venezuela where she studied Advertising. She joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. Sra. Alejandra enjoys working with children, because she is able to see first-hand how quickly they grasp new concepts and how noble and innocent they are. She is truly in love with their spontaneity. She enjoys being part of the growth of learning a new language for children.
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Señora AnaisTeacher - Emory
Sra. Anais is from Venezuela. She holds a Bachelor’s degree Early Childhood Education from Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez, she joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Sra. Anais finds teaching rewarding, she loves to see her student’s daily progress. She is passionate and feels proud about teaching her native language.
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Señora MayteTeacher - East Cobb
Sra. Mayte is from Mexico City. She studied Graphic Design at Universidad Iberoamericana-Mexico and joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. She likes to walk her dogs, spend time with her family, watch movies and train in Jiujitsu. Sra. Mayte likes to work with children, because they have the biggest hearts and minds. It is extremely rewarding for her to see them learn new skills and get more confident in what they do. She likes to share her first language and culture with everybody Sra. Mayte is a big martial art fan; she truly believes it shows respect and discipline plus confidence. She is a black belt in Karate (trained for 7 yrs), and now she has been training in Jiujitsu for 8 yrs.
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Señora OrianaTeacher - East Cobb
Sra. Oriana is from Venezuela. She studied Psychology and holds a Master’s in Behavior and Development, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2021. She likes everything related to graphic forms of art, like calligraphy and also photography. Sra. Oriana loves being a witness of the “WOW Moments”, and she enjoys it when her students discover or learn something new. She loves teaching in Spanish, it allows her to be herself. She has two daughters, and raising them to be bilingual has taught her the impact of an early approach to languages. Speaking Spanish and English has given her the best opportunities and friendships, as well as the best adventures.
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Señora MarianaTeacher - East Cobb
Sra. Mariana is from Mexico. She studied Communication and holds a Master’s degree in Intelligence Psychology, she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2021. Sra. Mariana loves when her students get amazed about something new, and she truly believes that their cuddles are the best. She likes to teach in Spanish because it is her first language and it helps her to stay connected with her culture. She likes to spend time with her children, dance, and continue to study new concepts she finds interest in.
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Señora MaryTeacher - Suwanee
Sra. María Elena is from Guadalajara, Mexico. She studied Administration with Marketing at ITESO in Guadalajara, Mexico. She has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2021. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and go to the movies. Sra. María finds working with kids is so amazing because they are authentic, spontaneous, happy, and they transmit a lot of energy. She likes to learn about different cultures, and she enjoys teaching Spanish because it is her first language.
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Señora YesseniaTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Yesennia is from the Dominican Republic . She studied at Dewey University San Juan, Puerto Rico, and joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. She likes to dance, watch movies, and spend time with her children. Sra. Yesennia enjoys working with young children because it gives her the opportunity to help them grow and learn, besides that she finds it super fun! She likes to teach in Spanish because, through her native language, she can teach her students how diverse our culture is.
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Señora AlejandraTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Alejandra is from Colombia. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Childhood Education from the Universidad Minuto de Dios in Bogota, Colombia, she also has an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University-Perimeter. She joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. Sra. Aleja loves the capability and curiosity that children have. She enjoys how children are always curious and eager to learn. Every day is a new adventure for them and she loves to guide them and support their journey. She likes teaching Spanish because it is a beautiful language, and it opens the possibility to meet different and diverse cultures. She is thrilled that kids have this opportunity to learn a second language at an early age.
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Señora InesTeacher - Buckhead
Sra. Ines is from Mexico. She holds a Bachelor’s in Architecture, from UVM San Luis Potosi- Mexico, and joined The Spanish Academy in 2022. She likes to spend time with her son, play the violin, hike, exercise, and read. Sra. Ines likes to see her students grow and she enjoys watching them discover the world by themselves. She likes to teach Spanish because speaking more than one language opens the doors to diversity.
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Señora SandraTeacher - Suwanee
Sra. Sandra is from Lima- Perú. She studied Early Childhood Education at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega University in Lima-Perú, and she has been working at The Spanish Academy since 2019. She dedicates her free time to her business in children’s entertainment and education. Sra. Sandra finds teaching rewarding, she learns from her students every day, they make her very happy and she loves to see them smiling. Sra. Sandra’s true passion is to teach Spanish, it makes her very proud and very happy.
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Señora NeydaTeacher - Buckhead
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Señora Maria JoseTeacher - Emory
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Señora LismaryTeacher - East Cobb
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Señora TatianaTeacher - East Cobb
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Señora AdrianaTeacher - East Cobb
Señora JulissaTeacher - Emory
She is from the Dominican Republic. She has a bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering in Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra. She moved to Atlanta in 2019 with her husband from Puerto Rico and had a baby in 2020. She loves music, makeup, fashion, photography and outdoor activities with her family. She loves arriving in the morning and seeing children come happily to the class, She finds it very rewarding when kids learn Spanish and are able to communicate their wants and ideas in another language.
Señora NorbeliaTeacher - Emory
Sra Norbelia is from Venezuela, where she graduated with B.A in Human Resources. She loves to be part of children’s formative years and help them learn and discover the world, especially teaching them in her native language. Señora Norbelia is a very dedicated, sweet and yet disciplined teacher who believes that a nurturing environment will help kids flourish and shape well grounded minds. She strongly believes that learning multiple languages will enrich and help kids be more successful in life. She recently joined TSA and has been assisting in Perrito’s class, I know some of you have met her during carpool, and if you haven’t yet, I hope you will find the opportunity to meet her in the upcoming weeks
Señora AriTeacher - Emory
Sra. Ari has worked in TSA for 5 years and is a wonderful experienced teacher. She was born and raced in Mexico City. She arrived in the US in 1996 and lived in North Carolina until she moved to Atlanta in 2016. She has been teaching multiple languages: Italian and Spanish to students of all ages all her life. She is a mother of two grown sons, and she is also a grandmother of three girls, who are TSA Alumni and fully bilingual. She strongly believes that learning multiple languages will enrich and help kids be more successful in life. I also love spending time with my family, traveling everywhere, reading books, cooking, and art.
Señora JuliaTeacher - Emory
She is from Pereira, Colombia and has a degree in Agricultural Sciences and a master’s in Rural Development. She arrived in the USA in 2021 and lives with my husband and two lovely dogs.
She is very happy to be part of the TSA family and looks forward to giving the kids all of her care, support, love, and knowledge. She is excited about teaching them Spanish and all the rich Latin American culture. She loves working with children because their love and joy make her see the world differently. She enjoys exercising, cooking at home, and eating healthy food. She also loves nature and taking care of animals.