Beatriz Gutierrez
Founder & Executive Director

Beatriz Gutierrez is passionate about providing children in her hometown with a vibrant, viable educational opportunity in Lynwood, California. As a Teach For America ("TFA") Corps member, Beatriz taught in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Dallas, TX. During this time, she focused on developing her own abilities as an educator so that she reached every single student who walked through the door of her classroom. After her tenure with TFA, Beatriz continued teaching and later served as an instructional coach in the Dallas Independent School District, implementing a data-driven system for 25 teachers and 450 students, and leading weekly professional development for Pre-K to fifth grade teachers. She went on to become Dean of Instruction at Uplift Education. As a leader, Beatriz has consistently aimed at moving the needle even more for her scholars. Beatriz is the Executive Director of Soleil Academy. She was part of the 2016 BES Fellowship, a rigorous, yearlong, comprehensive training program in public charter school creation and leadership.​ Soleil Academy is goal-oriented, data-driven, and systematic and most importantly provides a safe learning environment for all scholars. Beatriz moved back to her hometown with the sole purpose of creating a school for her community that would provide students an excellent education.

Beatriz holds a B.A. in Sociology from University of California, Santa Barbara. ​

Carolyn A. Fernandez
Principal

Carolyn Fernandez is a mission-driven educator who strongly believes every child deserves an excellent education regardless of their race or socio-economic status. It is because of this belief that she has dedicated her entire educational career to working with schools in urban communities. She began her career in Information Technology, first working in the financial and pharmaceutical sectors, before switching to a career that she was truly passionate about.  After returning to school in pursuit of her Masters Degree she worked as an Early Elementary Teacher for 11 years before becoming a Literacy Coach.  As a teacher, Carolyn had always prided herself in setting a high bar of excellence for her scholars and watching them achieve great things. Through standards-driven math and literacy lessons and engaging cross-curricular units, she motivated scholars to take an active role in their learning in an environment that was supportive of their diverse needs.  As a Literacy Coach, she provided valuable job-embedded professional development to build the capacity of teachers that translated into increased student achievement.  She served as the Dean of Curriculum and Instruction in our founding year and is now looking forward to leading as the upcoming Principal of Soleil Academy.
 
Carolyn holds a B.S. in Management Science/Information Systems from Rutgers University, New Brunswick and a M.A. in Early Childhood Education from New Jersey City University.  She has also completed the NJEXCEL Program in pursuit of her Principal Certification.

Raquel Avina
Operations Manager

Raquel Avina grew up in South Central, Los Angeles. She believes that all scholars deserve a high-quality education and a successful pathway to college, and that it can begin as early as Kindergarten. Mrs. Avina has dedicated over 10 years  within charter schools supporting operations. While working for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps with at-risk youth, a program that provides a second chance for youth to complete their high school diploma, Mrs. Avina began to appreciate the work schools and dedicated staff provided to their communities. She continued her career as an administrative clerk and then moved on to lead a founding operations team for a middle school as the School Operations Manager. She is thrilled to join Soleil Academy and support best practices in safety and support the learning environment of our scholars.
Mrs. Avina obtained her Bachelor’s in Sociology from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Raquel holds a B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. 

Courtney Bradley
Dean of Culture

Courtney Bradley is a passionate educator who is committed to creating a joyous learning environment where children feel safe, supported, and loved.   
Her passion for education was ignited while studying creative dance for children at the University of Illinois. Upon graduating, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her teaching career. She is an advocate for arts in education and strives to bring high quality enrichment programs to schools.
 
Ms. Bradley will be stepping into a new role as Dean of Culture and is excited to support Soleil Academy with love, creativity, and joy! ​

Courtney obtained her B.F.A in Dance from the University of Illinois in 2010 and studied creative dance for children. 

Stephanie Kim
Dean of Academics and Instructional Coach 

Stephanie Kim is an educator with a passion to teach the whole child. She attended Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Art in Liberal Studies. She simultaneously worked towards obtaining a Multiple Teaching Credential with a focus and determination to teach English Language Learners. 

Born and raised in Southern Los Angeles, Mrs. Kim completed 5 years of teaching in the Downtown Los               Angeles area and continues to pursue her work towards educational equality. She has worked 3 years as a 1st grade teacher, 1 year as a Kindergarten teacher, and 1 year as a 2nd grade teacher. Mrs. Kim is thrilled to be the Dean of Academics/ 2nd Grade Teacher this year and eager to work with teachers and scholars on their path to college and greatness!

Stephanie holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Mount St. Mary’s University.

Catrina Weston
Office & COVID-19 Coordinator

Catrina Weston is an enthusiastic advocate for high-quality education and youth development. In college, she studied English acquisition and planned on joining the teaching world. It was her dream to travel the world as an English teacher, but she soon fell more in love with working with inner city youth through after-school programs and summer camps with the YMCA of Greater Long Beach. While in Long Beach, she developed a passion for creating relationships with parents and youth. She was determined to support families by ensuring they felt prepared and empowered in their education path. She has since developed and trained on best practices across southern California for youth workers, managed charter school youth and adult culture practices, as well as health and wellness best practices. Catrina is a strong advocate for the implementation of meaningful youth development and parent involvement in all opportunities of education.

​Catrina holds a B.A. in English Education from California State University, Long Beach. 

Gricelda Ramirez
Marketing & Enrollment Manager

Gricelda Ramirez was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. She is passionate about providing families and students  resources, services, and opportunities. Before joining Soleil Academy she worked at Youth Policy Institute After School Program as Parent Coordinator. There she aimed to provide families with resources, workshops, and activities to educate and engage families. Later, she attained a position at CN Charter School were she took on several roles such as attendance, records, and IEP Clerk. She is extremely excited to start her role here at Soleil Academy and to provide families and students with quality service that she has garnered from her past experience.

Gricelda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in Chicano/a Studies from California State University, Northridge. 

Natalie Lopez
Kindergarten Teacher

Natalie Lopez is the new Kindergarten teacher at Soleil Academy. She is very excited to be part of the Soleil Academy family. Ms. Lopez is from San Diego County and has worked with scholars from various backgrounds during her past teaching and clinical practice. She will utilize what she has learned, and will continue to learn, to help her scholars become the best individuals they can be that go to and through college!

Natalie graduated with a major in Liberal Studies and a depth of study in Literature and Writing from California State University, San Marcos.

Leticia Robles
Kindergarten Teacher

Leticia Robles is a passionate educator, who strongly believes that all students nationwide, no matter what socioeconomic status, can achieve high academic levels. As a Lynwood Alumni and resident, she is committed to  serve in her community and plans to utilize innovative instructional techniques in her classroom. Mrs. Robles also believes that individualized instruction is key to not just academic success, but life-long success as well. This year, she will continue her work towards increasing student achievement as a Kindergarten teacher at Soleil Academy.

Leticia holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from San Diego Christian College and is an active member of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association Honor Society. She is finalizing her Multiple Subject Credential through National University.

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Rebecca Barron 
Kindergarten Teacher

Rebecca Barron is an educator determined to set a foundation for her students' futures. Her goal is to see her students shine with pride that they learned something new every day! Ever since she was an elementary student herself, her dream was to teach. Ms. Barron is proud that she is living out her dream and wants students to know: if you continue to believe and work hard…. Your dream might just become a reality! Ms. Barron attended Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. Concurrently, she worked to obtain a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential which allowed for a variety of opportunities to work with different types of learners.

Rebecca holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles

Michelle Miranda
1st Grade Teacher

Michelle Miranda is a dedicated and hard-working educator who believes in all her students. She is passionate about educating her scholars because the more they know, the more places they will go! Her goal for all her students is for them to graduate from college. For that to happen, she works hard every day to provide a structured learning environment with academic rigor and character development and a focus on literacy. She provides opportunities for her students to take charge of their learning and grow in their responsibility.

For as long as she can remember, she has always wanted to become a teacher. She did her best in school because of her goal to attend her dream school: CSULB, due to their great teaching program. After high school, she was accepted to CSULB and graduated with her BA in four years. Before becoming a teacher, she traveled the world and visited places like France, England, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and even lived in Canada for a year. Since then she has student taught Kinder through 6th grade at various points in her career. She is very excited to start teaching TK/K at Soleil Academy.

Michelle holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies with a focus in Educational Studies from California State University Long Beach. She also holds a valid California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

Sonia Rodriguez
1st Grade Teacher

 ​Sonia Rodriguez is a compassionate and caring educator who seeks to bring out the best in every child. She strives to create a safe learning environment where students can take risks, develop their self-esteem, and learn to respect others. She engages students in a standards based-education that focuses on fostering meaningful student understanding and growth.   

Having arrived in the U.S. from Mexico when she was seven years old, she is especially equipped to work within a culturally diverse community. This experience sensitized her to address the unique learning and emotional needs of each child. Mrs. Rodriguez finds it crucial to involve parents/caregivers in their children’s education. Through meaningful communication between teacher and parents/caregivers, students are better supported to achieve their full potential.  

Sonia holds a B.A. in History with a minor in Spanish Cultural Studies from Occidental College and a M.A. in Education from Whittier College.

Carolina Luna 
2nd Grade Teacher

Carolina Luna grew up in South Los Angeles. Ms. Luna is an educator with a firm belief that all scholars are capable of being successful in obtaining a higher education, beginning their preparation as early as elementary school. Ms. Luna says, "It is up to us educators to ensure that our scholars are provided the tools to reach their highest potential." Ms. Luna has worked in schools in South Los Angeles, and before joining the Soleil family, taught Kindergarten through 5th grade Native Alaskans in Alaska. One of her strengths is acknowledging our students’ individuality and culture.

Carolina holds a B.A. in Psychology and Politics along with a minor in Legal Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz. 

​Michelle Hafen
2nd Grade Teacher

Michelle Hafen is an enthusiastic educator that aims to provide equitable and inclusive education for all scholars. Her main goal is to make learning fun and accessible for all scholars regardless of their social and economic background. Ms. Hafen strives to accomplish this by engaging scholars in hands-on activities and presenting information in a variety of learning styles. 

Ms. Hafen explored many opportunities working with students of various ages and in many different scenarios. She was a preschool teacher for 3 years, a nanny for 1.5 years and a math camp instructor during the summer. Throughout this time, Michelle has gained experience in creating engaging activities and working with students with various learning abilities. She hopes to use all that she has learned in and out of the classroom to provide the best learning experience for all her scholars!

Michelle has received a Bachelors in Liberal Studies and a minor in Mathematics from California State University of Fullerton.  

Deborah Lee
3rd Grade Teacher

Deborah Lee is a passionate and dedicated educator who believes every child is unique and deserves a caring, inspiring, and engaging atmosphere in which to grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Ms. Lee help her scholars meet their fullest potential by providing a safe, risk-taking, and collaborative environment. She believes a positive and welcoming learning space is essential to creating successful life-long learners. In addition, she strongly believes in her scholars expressing themselves and accepting themselves for who they are, as well as respect the differences of others. She believes that there is no “one size fits all” in learning and each scholar learns at a different pace and style. She is committed to working with each scholar to reach his or her goals and learning expectations.
​
Deborah holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Chelsea Adams
3rd Grade Teacher

Chelsea Adams is a goal driven educator who drives high achievement through relationships that capture the educational experience of the whole child. She is committed to providing equal access and equal outcomes to every student’s education, and she believes that career and college success starts with a strong, rigorous, early childhood education. 

Raised in a military family, Chelsea has lived in several states across the U.S., but is a recent resident of Los Angeles moving from Washington, D.C., where she had worked as a kindergarten teacher for the past two years. Her experience in moving throughout her childhood education has inspired her to create consistency in her classroom to promote the greatest success for her students.


Chelsea holds a B.A. in Leadership and Public Policy from the University of Virginia and is completing her M.A. in Education at Johns Hopkins University.

Lorenzo Chan 
4th Grade Teacher

Lorenzo Chan is passionate and dedicated educator who believes that each student can become a champion. A champion is someone who is willing to learn, make mistakes and is willing to help others. Mr. Chan graduated from the University of California Riverside with a Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies with a minor in mathematics. He is an advocate of higher education and believes all children should be provided with an equal learning opportunity. 

Lorenzo holds a BA in Liberal studies with a minor in Mathematics

Jennifer Gomez-Nevarez
EL Interventionist 

 ​Jennifer Gomez has worked as an educator in the Lynwood community for the past 5 years. She believes all children should be taught in a way that nurtures the individuality of the students. Providing students with confidence and the tools for success is important to build the foundation for college. Giving children the extra support they need and introducing them to new things can open up opportunities. Jennifer knew she wanted to be a teacher at a young age. Having family members working in the education field gave her the opportunity to go into classrooms and experience it for herself. She strongly believes that doing what you love doesn’t make it feel like work, which is why college is important. One can choose a career in the field they are most interested in.  
​
Jennifer holds a BA in Special Education and is working on her Masters at California State University, Dominguez Hills. 

Viviana Villasano
Nutrition Support & Operations Fellow

Viviana Villasano grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Viviana believes that all scholars from any community deserve the right to go to college. She attended a charter school during her four years of high school and believes strongly in the mission of Soleil Academy.  Viviana talking to scholars about healthy eating habits as we she hands them their meals with a smile.  Viviana takes pride in the work she does and enjoys supporting Soleil in any way she can.

Sara Cuellar
Instructional Aide

Sara Cuellar grew up in Lynwood. She attended Brandman University and graduated with a Bachelor of Art in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Cuellar has worked as a Head Start teacher, working with children, ages from 3-5 years old. She believes every child can learn. She believes all scholars should have the knowledge of Reading, Writing, Math, History, and Art. She wants to inspire scholars to become leaders, artists, journalists, musicians, teachers, and scientists. Mrs. Cuellar's goals is for scholars to feel anything is possible when they work hard to reach their goals. 

​Sara Cuellar holds a B.A in Early Childhood Education from Brandman University.

Guadalupe Rodriguez
Instructional Aide

Guadalupe Rodriguez is an enthusiastic educator. Ms. Rodriguez has been volunteering at an educational setting for 7 years. After graduating high school, she attended Los Angeles Harbor College where she found her passion for teaching children. Her passion became stronger as she was working in a Head Start program and she worked there for 4 years. She is currently attending school to pursue her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, Science, and Child development. She plans to continue her education earning a bachelor's in child development with a minor in Speech Pathology.

Michele Ramirez
Instructional Aide

Michele Ramirez is a passionate and joyful educator. She takes pride in being able to provide scholars with fun and meaningful learning experiences. For 6 years, Ms. Ramirez has invested her time in implementing and developing life enhancing programs for children. She has worked in after school organizations as a site coordinator for TK-12th grade scholars in charter and LAUSD schools. After being able to provide valuable resources and experiences that expand her scholars horizons, she is now ready to work on the next chapter in her life. Becoming a teacher has always been her DREAM, and her love for teaching and inspiring her scholars keep her motivated in reaching that goal. She is a firm believer that each child, no matter their socioeconomic status, deserves an opportunity to education and experiences. She is excited to join the Soleil team and positively impact our scholars!


Michele Ramirez has a B.A. in Early Childhood Development from California State University of Northridge

Christine Almeda
Instructional Aide

Christine Almeda grew up in Pico Rivera, CA. As a child, she had many difficulties in school settings and was told that college was not part of her future. Since then, it was her goal to provide guidance to children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Ms. Almeda believes that every scholar is college-bound, and we as educators are here to guide them. Over the past 2 years, Ms. Almeda has been working with students that have emotional needs in a school setting. During the pandemic, Ms. Almeda was a substitute teacher for multiple high school classes. And is now currently working towards getting her teaching credential.


Christine holds a BA in Psychology from Whittier College.

Jessica Morales
Instructional Aide

Jessica Morales grew up in Lynwood, CA. While being a tutor, she has worked with elementary students in providing academic support while scaffolding teacher instruction. In addition, she has worked as a youth mentor where she was committed to mentoring youth and promoting positive relationships in the community. Teaching students the skills necessary for attaining success and promoting college as a realistic aspiration is essential. She believes that every student has the right to quality education and that a safe and challenging learning environment encourages students to reach their full potential. She looks forward to giving back to her community and contributing to the success of each and every student.

Jessica holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies with a focus in Human and Child Development from California State University, Long Beach.

Jenny Perez
Instructional Aide

Jenny Perez is a from Compton, CA and is passionate about giving back to her community. Having grown up in an underrepresented and underserved community, she wants to provide students with the opportunity to help them achieve the goal of attending college. She believes that everyone is capable of achieving this goal if given the appropriate resources and wants everyone to view college as a right rather than a privilege. She is interested in working with children and helping them develop their educational potential. Jenny is thrilled to begin her journey at Soleil Academy and ready to make a difference in the lives of the scholars.
 
Jenny holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health Policy and a minor in Urban Studies from the University of California, Irvine.

Ana Gonzalez
​Interventionist

Ana Gonzalez is an interventionist teacher. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Gonzalez moved to California to continue her journey as an educator. She graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor’s in Science of Education with a focus in English and History. Some things she enjoys are nature, music, and spending time with loved ones. Ms. Gonzalez is excited to be a part of the Soleil team and shape a better future, one scholar at a time!

Ana holds a B.A. in Science of Education, with a focus in English and History, from Ohio University. 

Jarely Moralez
Interventionist

Jarely Morales is a passionate educator who is committed to providing a college-ready learning experience in her hometown, Lynwood, Ca. Ms. Morales obtained her K-12 education in the city of Lynwood and then went to UCLA, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in Education Studies. Ms. Morales quickly came to the realization that there weren’t many Latino students, so she decided to join an incredible women-driven organization called Hermanas Unidas de UCLA. She received the support she needed to pursue a degree in higher education. Throughout her 4 years in college, she was part of BruinCorps- a community service learning program with the goal of providing equal access to educational opportunities to under-resourced communities throughout Los Angeles.Ms. Morales is an advocate for equity in education and she strives towards closing the achievement gap. As a first- generation college graduate, Ms. Morales finds it highly important to make college a priority for all scholars regardless of their demographics. She is excited to be a part of the Soleil community and to help instill college into all scholars. She will work hard towards making sure that all scholars are successful and have a future bright with opportunity.

Jarely holds a bachelor's in Sociology and  minor in Education from UCLA

Ramon Rodriguez
Science Teacher

Ramon Rodriguez joins our Soleil Academy family after serving as a middle school and high school Science teacher for the past 18 years. He has taught Integrated Science, Biology, Health, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Environmental Science, Advanced Placement Biology and Pre-Algebra and Algebra. Born and raised in Pasadena, CA, Mr. Rodriguez found his love of Science and his passion to share his knowledge. In the 9th grade, Mr. Rodriguez was inspired by his Biology teacher in learning science by doing hands on science labs and activities. Since then, he conducts hands on labs and activities to help scholars learn, love, appreciate and have fun while learning Science. He seeks to bring out the best in every child by teaching critical thinking skills, problem solving, and having fun conducting labs/activities. He strives to create a learning environment where scholars take risks, build character and self-esteem, learn to respect others, and build confidence in Science. He believes that it takes meaningful communication and involves parents and/or caregivers in their children’s education, so that scholars are supported to achieve their full potential. Mr. Rodriguez strives to instill a love of science in every scholar regardless of socioeconomics, background, and grade level.     

Ramon holds a B.S. in Biology from Occidental College and a M.A. in Education with Emphasis in Science Education from the University of La Verne. 

Klara Terzic
Art Teacher

Klara Terzic is from Budapest, Hungary where she obtained her first teaching credential and started her journey as an educator. Her many travels brought her to Los Angeles, CA where she now lives with her family. While her children were at grade school, she was busy volunteering in classrooms teaching visual art projects.  
As a substitute teacher working in various school districts in Los Angeles County, she gained valuable experience educating general and special education students as well as English language learners. She believes that one of the main goals of a great education is to install the desire in scholars to become lifelong learners thus enabling them for lifelong success. In her art classroom, she sees her key role as being a motivator. She strives to establish an all-inclusive, non-judgmental environment where her students are free to discover themselves--their ideas, feelings, wishes, fantasies, dreams, and encouragement to communicate their inner selves. She is excited to start her new journey at the learning community of the Soleil Academy. 
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Klara earned her California Single Subject in Visual Arts at California State University in Long Beach. 

Tristana Hernandez
Art Teacher

Tristana Hernandez grew up Lynwood, Ca. She began her studies at Cerritos Community College and completed her undergrad courses in Secondary Education from CSUF. Tristana has a decade of experience in the educational field supporting students in K-12 as an Instructional Aide, AVID tutor, tutoring  (CUSD, LAUSD, LACOE) and as an After School Educator. She has worked with RSP and SPED students among general education students. She is very passionate about scholars' growth in education and college for certain. Most importantly, she is proud to represent and serve our community.​

Tristana holds a B.A. in Visual Arts with an emphasis on Arts & Crafts from California State University of Fullerton.