LePort Montessori

Ms. Katie was born and raised in Santa Ana. Growing up, Ms. Katie had always wanted to work with children. She has studied at Santa Ana College to pursue her career in childhood development and has earned her certificate as an Early Childhood Assistant Teacher. Ms. Katie grew up in a bilingual household and speaks fluent Spanish. Ms. Katie loves to bake and cook in her free time and enjoys visiting new places.

Ms. Parneet was born and raised in India. She has a Masters in Communication Studies and has worked with leading agencies before realizing her passion for teaching and education. She comes with 12+ years of experience of working with children in India as well as America. After moving to America post-marriage, she completed her child development classes and worked as an Assistant Teacher at our LePort Woodbridge campus. Ms. Parneet loves traveling and exploring cuisines and cultures of the world with her husband and son.

Ms. Fran Phankonsy was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated in 2023 from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. Before joining LePort Montessori, Ms. Fran worked as a Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Technician for children on the autism spectrum. This is where her passion for working with children began. In her free time, Ms. Fran enjoys attending concerts, discovering new coffee shops, and spending time with friends and family.

Born and raised in Orange County, Ms. Ramirez is currently attending Orange Coast College, pursuing her studies in Early Childhood Education. Working with children has always been her lifelong passion. Since 2021, she has been dedicated to nurturing young minds at Leport, initially as an assistant teacher. Ms. Ramirez has been excited to expand her knowledge and skills as a lead teacher, guiding young children towards independence and fostering a love for learning in a Montessori environment.

Outside of her professional life, Ms. Ramirez enjoys spending quality time with friends and family. She has a passion for exploring new music and often seeks out concerts and music festivals. Additionally, Ms. Ramirez loves visiting Mexico, where she enjoys immersing herself in the culture and exploring beautiful landscapes.

Ms. Lily was born in Mexico City and raised in Southern California where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 2013 at the California State University of Fullerton with a major in ethnic studies and a minor in child and adolescent development. Her career in education began as an after school program leader for a local school district for four years. While seeking other career paths in the educational field she became a Montessori primary assistant and after 4 years of experience she decided to pursue the Montessori Primary training. In the summer of 2019 she joined the Montessori Institute of San Diego and completed the course in August 2020.

In her free time, Ms. Lily enjoys going to the movies, spending time with family, road trips, baking, and many outdoor activities including soccer and hiking.

Ms. Roshika joined LePort with over seven years of experience working as a Montessori Toddler and Primary Teacher. She fell in love with the Montessori approach after caring for her two children. Ms. Roshika earned her diploma in Primary Montessori Education at the Colombo Montessori Teacher Training Center in Sri Lanka, which is affiliated with Fairfax University in the United Kingdom. She also has numerous continuing education credits in Early Childhood Education from various colleges in the United States. Ms. Roshika describes herself as simple but strong-willed, and a passionate and kind person.

Ms. Michaela was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and her ethnicity is Native American. She comes from a background of other family members working in the educational system. Her love for children came from babysitting her nieces and nephews at an early age. Ms. Michaela hopes to go back to school so she can become a teacher and lead her own classroom someday. After high school, she pursued working as an Assistant Teacher at a daycare for four years working with all ages from infants up to middle school aged children. Her interests are reading all kinds of books or doing artwork using different mediums from drawing to painting. She enjoys spending quality time with her family members.

Ms. Ritu is happy to be part of our Montessori community! Before joining LePort, she worked in IUSD’s special needs classes, as well as in general education classrooms for grades 1-6. Ms. Ritu also spent a year as a lead teacher and supervisor at a Montessori school. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature, ECE credits, and teacher aide certification. She recently completed her in-residence Montessori training and is continuing her studies to deepen her knowledge.
Ms. Ritu loves creating a warm and joyful space where children can explore, create, and grow at their own pace. She enjoys weaving art, music, and movement into the children’s days and is especially passionate about supporting all learners-especially neurodiverse children.

Mrs. Shaw was born and raised in Mexico and moved to California in 1985. Prior to joining LePort, she worked in the medical field, but had always desired to work with children. Mrs. Shaw attended Laguna Technical College to receive an education in Human Development and Childhood Education. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys reading, movies, music, and most of all, spending time with her two sons and family in Mexico.

Jillian earned her Master’s degree in Montessori Education from the University of San Diego in 2012 along with AMI diplomas for both the infant/ toddler and primary levels. Montessori has been part of her life since childhood, and she is passionate about creating a warm, engaging classroom where children can grow with confidence. In her free time, she enjoys camping under the stars and spending days at the beach with her husband and their two young children.

Ms. Diona Trinidad graduated from Cal State Fullerton University in 2014. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Child and Adolescent Development with an emphasis on Early Education. Her passion for working with children started at the Beyond Blindness nonprofit organization in 2016. During her seven years of working there, she had various roles as an early interventionist and classroom teacher for infants and toddlers with developmental delays. Ms. Diona found joy in guiding the curious nature of all children and fostering their willingness to learn. Ms. Diona sees Montessori methods as a way of life. She is especially excited about not only utilizing Montessori materials but also learning the best practices for developing independent and confident lifelong learners. Outside of work, Ms. Diona enjoys hiking, crafting, and spending time with her family. She has a son who is also enrolled in LePort Montessori.

Ms. Liqing was born and raised in China, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts. She has been interested in Early Childhood Education since her children were young. She takes Early Childhood Education courses at Irvine Valley College. Ms. Liqing has been working with children since 2019. She values children’s independence and self-confidence. She always encourages children to explore the world by themselves. She believes that each child is unique, therefore they learn and thrive at their own pace. In her free time, she loves traveling, music, cooking, and gardening.