Ms. Mara

I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Child & Adolescent Development and Psychological Science. During my undergraduate studies, I also minored in Spanish and tutored the subject at my university. — ¡Hola! — Additionally, I earned my Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL) Certificate, and I am currently studying German for fun. — Wie geht es Ihnen? — I am also an active Research Assistant in the Bilingualism, Mind, and Brain (BMB) Lab at the University of California, Irvine. — Did you know that research studies have shown there are cognitive benefits to learning more than one language?! I am passionate about language learning and I genuinely enjoy working in early childhood education. I have more than five wonderful years of experience working with children and youth in a variety of educational settings, including but not limited to: preschool, pre-kindergarten, and school-age programs at Tutor Time in Murrieta, California, and at multiple U.S. military Child Development Centers (CDC) in Kaneohe, Hawaii and Stuttgart, Germany. With that being said, I love to learn, I love to travel and I believe children should have the opportunity to explore the world and different cultures in the classroom (and outside of it!) whenever possible. Language studies are an excellent way to incorporate multiculturalism into the curriculum and I am excited to provide my students with ample opportunities to investigate, experiment, explore, discover, play and learn!