Maria Morley, Art
Maria holds a BFA from Michigan State University and a BFA in Education from the Rocky Mtn. College of Art + Design, with a K-12 teacher certification. She also holds a Master's of Fine Art: Sculpture and Ceramics. In her past she worked as Art Teacher at the Colegio Interamericano in Guatemala City and as an Sculpture Technician at the Rocky Mtn. College of Art + Design in Denver, Colorado. 
Gina Tillery, Music
Ms. Tillery holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of South Alabama. She previously worked as a teacher (preK-12) for eight years in Guatemala. She also was IT coordinator at Colegio Colonial Bilingue for four years. Before beginning her career in education, she worked in a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) Lab exploring the use of technology in music, and performed as an orchestral percussionist and a professional vocalist in the U.S. 
Maria Elena Valencia, Physical Education
Ms. Maria Elena, graduated in Physical Education and Human Development from the University Galileo, Guatemala and has a degree in Administration of Sport Institutions. She also holds a Master 's Degree in Business Administration from the University Isabel I, Escuela de Negocios Europea de Barcelona. Maria Elena has 22 years of experience teaching Physical Education, 11 of them at Colegio Decroly Americano CDA, Guatemala. 
Orlando Sicajol, Elementary Art and Music
Mr. Orlando is the youngest of 4 brothers, and is married to his wife, Patty, with whom he has 2 children. He graduated from the Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala and worked at the American School of Guatemala for 10 years; he also was the Music Department Director at SETECA and currently owns his own music academy in Santiago, Sacatepéquez. For a long time now he has been involved in different projects such as Orchestra Director, teacher, composer and musician. He loves to spend time with his family, cook, do work projects at home; but more than anything, he loves to play instruments and share his knowledge with others. 
Jensen Blevins - Second Language Support
Ms. Jen is originally from a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. During her first visit to Guatemala to work in orphan care, she absolutely fell in love with life here. She has her undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Science, as well as Spanish from Virginia Tech, and a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Virginia. She has taught in India, Colombia, and for 2 years in the United States. When she isn’t teaching English, you can find her playing guitar, hiking, camping, making sourdough, or looking for the best ice cream in town. If you have any questions about English as a second language, please reach out to her, she would love to talk with you. |
Rosa Allen, PE
Ms. Rosa is from Puerto Barrios, Izabal. She holds a B.A. in Sports Management from Galileo University. Before AIS, she taught at a National Institute of Basic Education for 3 years and worked in the General Direction of Physical Education in the National School Sports Tournament Unit (Organization and coordination of sports activities). She also worked as a Coordinator of Special Events Program of the Vice Ministry of Sports and Recreation of Guatemala. 
Carlos Maximino Gomez, Technology
Mr. Carlos is currently studying to be a System Engineer at the Universidad Mariano Galvez. He also holds a Master Certification in Microsoft Office. He has more than 9 years of experience as technology teacher at various schools including the Colegio Rey de las Naciones. 
Olga Silva - Support Program, 3rd - 7th Counselor
Ms. Gabriela was born in Guatemala City and has lived in Antigua Guatemala for 30 years. In 1999 she graduated as an elementary school teacher from Colegio La Salle. She has a Specialized Teaching Degree in Learning Disabilities and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychopedagogy, obtained at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. She has been working for more than 10 years in the area of education, where she has taught classes in different grades at the primary level. During the last two years she worked as a coordinator in a school in Antigua, supporting students, teachers and parents in the different problems that arise at the student level. In 2021 she dedicated herself to work independently as a tutor teacher supporting children of different school grades in virtual and hybrid education. She enjoys working with children providing them with support and tools so that they can develop independently in their daily lives. 
Madeline Lusk - Service Learning Coordinator
Ms. Madi grew up in San Francisco, California and studied International Affairs and Spanish Language and Literature at Skidmore College. Before the pandemic, she worked in Guatemala City as a Princeton in Latin America Fellow at Campus Tecnólgico, also known as Silicon Valley con frijoles. She returned to San Francisco in 2020 and worked for two years at Marshall Elementary, a school whose population is predominantly newcomer students from Central America and Mexico. There she supported teachers and planned and facilitated bilingual afterschool and summer programs. She is really excited to be back in Guatemala and in a role where she can share her passion for service learning with AIS students. In her free time, she likes reading, gardening, baking, volunteering, eating comida típica, and learning about Guatemalan history and culture. |