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Our People
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Annie PettersonAcademic Coach Decoding and Reading Comprehension Annie is a bilingual educator with a Masters in Education. She has worked in several schools throughout the San Diego area. She also developed literacy programs in Santiago and in the Dominican Republican.
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Lisa Riggs Lisa lived in Santa Barbara, Ca until she attended college at SDSU, where she earned her B.A. in English Literature. Upon graduation, Lisa moved to Chicago to participate in an AmeriCorps program called City Year. Inspired by her tutoring and community service with elementary students, Lisa started to further explore careers that would allow her to demonstrate her connection with children and passion for education. In the meantime, Lisa worked at a charter school as a Reading Enrichment teacher for middle and high school students. Once accepted into the School Counseling Masters program at DePaul University, Lisa worked for Kaplan-Score! as a premier academic tutor and as a second-grade teacher aide at a small Catholic school. Once her graduate program was completed, Lisa decided to move back to San Diego to soak up some sun and see family more often. When Lisa is not spending time with the students at La Jolla LearningWorks, she enjoys running, reading, and watching football.
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Laci ChiodoAcademic Coaching Laci Chiodo graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 2006 with a BA in English-Creative Writing and a minor in Comparative Literature. After graduation she moved to the island of Maui where she lived and worked for two years as a substitute teacher, special education assistant, and reading and writing tutor. In 2008 she moved to San Francisco where she continued to tutor children, in addition to working as a freelance writer and editorial assistant for the Wellness section of Glam.com. In 2010 she left San Francisco in search of warmer weather and has been in San Diego ever since. When she is not tutoring kids, Laci enjoys teaching and practicing yoga, reading, and writing.
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Abigail ThorpeAcademic Coach History and English Abigail Thorpe earned her Bachelor of Arts in History at Westmont College, graduating with honors. Abigail grew up in Tehachapi, CA, and was homeschooled during most of her education, an opportunity that allowed her to develop a deep love of history, reading, and writing. During her time as a student at Westmont College, Abigail served as the assistant to the history department, working with professors in research, grading, and editing. Abigail has experience in volunteer tutoring history, as well as revising and assisting in essay writing and research. In addition, she has worked with diverse age groups in directing youth theater events for her hometown community.
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Kelsey GogartyAssistant Director Kelsey Gogarty is an Educational Therapist from the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating in 2004 with honors from Sonoma State University with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Business, she attended Holy Names University in Oakland where she received her certificate in Educational therapy and Master’s Degree in Education this past fall with her thesis, Nutritional Intervention and Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder: The Influence of Nutrition on ADD/ADHD behavior. Kelsey gained clinical experience as an intern at the Raskob Learning Center and has worked one-on-one with numerous students with dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, and auditory processing disorders. She is trained and certified in Making Math Real®, Lindamood-Bell LiPS®, and Handwriting Without Tears® and is currently a member of the Association of Educational Therapists. Before moving to SD to join the La Jolla Learning Works team, Kelsey worked as a Montessori Preschool teacher for three years. When she is not tutoring children, Kelsey enjoys running, cooking, and crafts.
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Megan McDonald Administrative Assistant
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Chad YoshimuraAcademic Coach Chad Yoshimura is a recent graduate from University of San Diego with a BA in History and Minor in Biology. Chad has spent the past year tutoring students in Language Arts and Mathematics to improve their California State Standards testing scores. Chad plans to attend graduate school with an emphasis in Education within the next few years. When Chad is not spending time tutoring, he enjoys running along the San Diego Harbor, exploring the outdoors, and playing beach volleyball
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Megan CohenOwner/Director After developing curriculum and running a successful K-6 learning center for five years, Megan is pleased to dedicate her knowledge and expertise in individualized education and client-centered service to clients and instructors at La Jolla LearningWorks.
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Ashlee ColletonAcademic Coach Ashlee Colleton received her BA in Psychology/Education/Global Peace & Securities and her Master’s degree and teaching credential in K-6 Education from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Click here to learn more about Ashlee.
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Beth DejaAcademic Coach Reading and Writing (K-8) Beth has her Masters in Social Work. Her experience ranges from school counseling work to mental health screenings and assessments.
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