Staff

Emily Adams graduated from The George Washington University in 2011 with B.A. in International Affairs before being accepted into the Urban Teachers fellowship program in Washington DC. Emily earned dual M.Ed degrees in Elementary and Special Education through Lesley University in 2013. She taught for five years in DC before moving to Houston, where she served as a Dean of Instruction and Special Education Manager. Emily is excited to be back in Colorado where she grew up. She love to travel and enjoys spending free time with her family, friends, and kittens.

This is Jan's 16th year working with Multilingual Learners. She started teaching in a small village in Japan where her youngest student was 2 and her oldest student was 83. She loves seeing how language opens new doors for students. When she's not at school, she spends her time scuba diving and doing yoga with her cats.

Jen Grover graduated from the University of Oregon before moving to Nashville where she taught with Teach for America and got her masters in education from Lipscomb University. She's excited to work with all of our K - 2 students at Vega and get to know our families! In her free time she loves to travel, hike with her dog Maddie and cheer on the Oregon Ducks!

Nicole Grzybowski has been engaged as an educator in Colorado public charter schools since 1999 when she got her start as an ELA-T teacher in Denver Public Schools. Since then, she has been a Director of Student Achievement, CO-Founded a project-based learning school in Aurora, CO-Principal of High School in historic Park Hill, was the Director of Academic Services for the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and Chief Executive Officer of ELLIPSIS, an educational consulting agency. Although she has embraced many roles and responsibilities throughout her career, she is most excited about this new chapter at Vega Collegiate Academy as the Middle Academy STEM Instructional Coach to support quality teaching and learning in math and science.

Gabrielle Mahon serves as the Dean of Student Services at Vega. She received her Master's of K6 Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2017 and holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Rights from the University of Connecticut. Prior to joining Vega, she had the privilege of serving in refugee education in northern Palestine and the Denver metro area. She enjoys seeing live performances of all kinds and spending time with her cats.

Veronica McCarthy was raised in a small town outside of Boston, MA. She attended Syracuse University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Education Policy Studies and Writing. After college, Veronica enrolled in a teacher licensure program through the University of Colorado Denver. Through this program, she was endorsed to teach Special Education. Post college, Veronica worked worked for Denver Public Schools as a 4th and 5th Grade Math Interventionist. Then, she taught as a fifth grade teacher at Vega Collegiate Academy. In 2021, Veronica began her role as an instructional coach for grades 3-5. Veronica loves working with students in grades 3-5 because they are independent, silly, story-telling, and joyful little humans! Additionally, the content that students get to learn in grades 3-5 is super fun! Veronica loves talking about her dog and anytime you want to show her photos of your pup, she is available!

Kathryn Mullins is the Founder and Executive Director of Vega Collegiate Academy. She is an educator with ten years of experience in a variety of urban school settings, Ms. Mullins has experience teaching elementary, middle, and high school, in both general and special education settings, in Brooklyn, New York City, Harlem, the Bronx, North Carolina, and Chicago. Ms. Mullins was selected as New Teacher of the Year, and Teacher of the Year while in North Carolina and has been featured in Doug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion training series, in which thousands of educators participate every year. In 2015, Ms. Mullins earned a Fellowship with Building Excellent Schools, a highly selective Fellowship that trains school leaders to lead charter schools in high-need urban neighborhoods across the country. Ms. Mullins holds a BM from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University - Bloomington, and a MA with Distinction from Relay, Graduate School of Education.

Jessica Racine serves as the K-8 Principal at Vega. She is passionate about providing a high-quality education experience to all students. She earned her Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy with a Principal endorsement at Boston College in 2016. Previously, she taught high school math and science. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and playing basketball.

Dena Soffer is an ELA Coach for Grades 5-8. Before coming to Vega, she was a Curriculum Specialist at Pearson, leading professional development for teachers all over New York City. She was previously Dean of Curriculum and Instruction and the founding 5th Grade Reading Teacher at Excellence Girls Middle Academy. She began her career in education eleven years ago, teaching 5th Grade Science at Brooklyn East Collegiate as a Teach For America Corps Member. Dena graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University, and went on to earn her Masters in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education, graduating with distinction. She enjoys reading, writing, and going for walks with her daughter.

Anne is a licensed professional counselor. Her early clinical experience was spent serving children and families who experience traumatic stress and adversity. She has experience working with in a domestic violence shelter as an Outreach Counselor, as a School Therapist contracted with Head Start, and in higher education research. Before coming to Vega she was a school partner, training and coaching school personnel on how best to establish a trauma responsive school environment. She enjoys walking her dog, growing vegetables, and spending time with Vega students.

Alex is currently in his 11th year in education! Alex is originally from New York from a small town called Stony Point. Alex has one brother, one sister, and two amazing parents! Alex attended Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT where he studied History and Psychology. After completing his Bachelor's Degree, Alex continued at Sacred Heart for a Masters in Secondary Education. Alex's teaching career began in Newark, NJ at North Star Academy where Alex spent 6 years teaching 6-8 Grade history before moving out to Colorado. While in Colorado, Alex has taught 6-8th grade History and began his administrative career as a Dean of Students and Assistant Principal. Alex currently lives in Lakewood, CO with his two dogs, Beau and Lola and his soon to be wife Bridget! Alex loves to spend his free time out in the mountains or outdoors. He can usually be found hiking, biking, or skiing!

Lindsey Adriaansen was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Bates College where she majored in Psychology and double minored in Education and Anthropology. She is a part of the 2021 TFA Colorado Corp. She enjoys anything outdoors including hiking and running. In her free time she loves to travel, bake banana bread and try new workout classes.

Carlos Aramburu was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He is proud to come from two Peruvian parents and enjoys spending time with his family. He loves to eat Ceviche and Rice Pudding at least two times a week. During Carlos' free time, he enjoys watching movies at the theatre with his family and friends. He has made a few award winning short films from his University at CU Denver.

Kaley Bacarisse was born and raised in Southwest Louisiana and moved to Colorado in July 2021. She graduated from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA with a bachelor's degree in Marketing and a Master's degree in teaching. Mrs. Bacarisse spent her first year teaching in a high school ELA classroom and is looking forward to spending her second year with so many fantastic 5th graders! In her spare time, she loves going on walks with her dog, playing video games with her husband, practicing guitar, and reading lots of new books.

Coral has lived in Denver, CO since age 4, before that she lived in Mexico. She went to CCD for dental hygiene and was on her last year, when she decided to change careers and become a paraeducator at Vega. She enjoys going on trips with her son and visiting new states for now, until her son can sit longer on trips. She enjoys going for walks and recently found out how much fun freeze tag is with Kindergarteners.

Suzanne Bosman is a 6th grade STEM teacher who joined the Vega team because the idea of a structured and joyful school made her heart sing. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in Art Education (and a brief stint in circus school), she went on to spend the school years instructing at an outdoor science school in California and summers coordinating arts and crafts at a camp in Colorado. Outside of school, Suzanne is an avid rock climber who also bakes and reads and watercolors.

Dionne was born and raised in Denver, CO. This is her first year at Vega. Dionne graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology in 2000 and from University of Colorado at Denver with a Master in Public Administration in 2007. Dionne loves to spend time with her family especially her daughter, Mahogany. She loves old school R&B music and reading crime, mystery & suspense novels.

Alex Busse was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He moved to Colorado from Bloomington, Indiana, where he recently graduated with a JD from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Before law school, Alex earned a BA in Philosophy from Bethel University. In his spare time, Alex enjoys reading novels, watching films, and going on walks. He is beyond excited to be a part of the Vega community.

Zoe Cormier is in her second year of teaching at Vega Collegiate Academy. She grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She then chose to pursue education and while teaching in Boston, she received her Master's degree from Boston University. Zoe loves working at Vega and is excited to be teaching third grade this year. In her free time, she enjoys going for walks outside and spending time with her dog.

Joe Dailey is an 8th Grade Humanities teacher working to prepare his students for high school and beyond. In his classroom, he focuses on rigor, practicality, and maturity, characterized by humor and joy. Beginning his teaching career in rural California, he taught 8th Grade ELA for 3 years. During this time he attended Loyola Marymount University, receiving his MA in Urban Education Policy and Administration. Joe enjoys playing guitar, community service, and most outdoor adventure sports. Currently, he is working on becoming a morning person and a better cook.

Donna DeThomas is originally from Rhode Island and loves the ocean. She graduated from Rhode Island College in with a Degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice. In her spare time she loves to travel, cook and spend time with her family.

Cinthia Fernandez was born and raised in Durango, MX., and moved to Denver, Colorado at the age of 15. After graduating high School, she attended the Community College of Aurora, where she became a Certified Dental Assistant and worked for a year and a half. Now, decided to change careers, she joined Vega with the determination to provide high-quality education and support students to reach their goals. Cinthia loves to spend time with her 5 year old son, Mario, and her family. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing video games, jigsaw and word search puzzles.

Alma Gandarilla was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has been working with kids for 2 years. She enjoys going hiking and camping during the summer! She also enjoys playing with her puppy, Laila. Ms. Gandarilla hopes to be a teacher one day!

Yahaira graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2017. After graduating from NIU, she worked at a K-12 charter school in Chicago for four years. She recently moved to the Denver area and she’s very excited to be a part of the Vega team! In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and snowboarding.

Brooks Hardcastle was born in Dallas, Texas. She attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2019 and a Master’s in Elementary Education in 2020. In her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors, explore new places, cook for her friends, practice yoga, run, and travel. She is so excited to begin her teaching career with the Vega community and grow alongside her students!

Kilitta Johnson-Smalls was born and raised in West Orange, NJ-home to Thomas Edison, Kyrie Irving and Whoopi Goldberg. She played flute and piccolo throughout my academic career until leaving for college in 2014. After living in Western New York for six years and enduring lake effect snow and freezing windchills, she moved to Colorado. In her spare time, she hula hoops professionally, participates in jam & partner roller skating and own and tend to my own rare and tropical plant business. You can find her hanging out with the kiddos, with her hands in dirt, or jumping around the rink in her skates depending on the day.

Megan Kann was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. She graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois with a BS in English in 2021. Megan is excited to begin her teaching career at Vega. When not at school, she can be found reading and relaxing with her cats or on a hiking adventure.

William Keller hails from San Francisco, California. Going into their first year with us at Vega, they formerly worked as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional in Commerce City. William graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2021 with a B.A. in Art History, and is looking forward to sharing his love of art and learning with the Vega Community.

Andrew Konopka was born and raised in Lakewood and graduated from Lakewood High School. Andrew graduated from Metropolitan State University with a degree in Marketing. He is very passionate about working with children to help them grow and is looking forward to learning and growing alongside them. In his free time, he likes to play and watch sports, fish, explore the outdoors and read.

Juan Lopez was born in Los Angeles California and grew up in a little town called Oildale in California. He is new to Vega and is excited to be working as one of the 8th Grade Humanities Teachers. He graduated from Colorado Christian University. He "loves" history especially learning about the Civil War. One of his favorite movies is Glory, which tells the heroic story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He is a husband of 25 years, a dad of three adult children, and is a proud grandpa. He loves spending time at the beach (Atlantic Ocean) and enjoys quality time with his family.

Olivia hails from Duxbury, Massachusetts. One of her first jobs was in youth development where she facilitated teambuilding activities with children ages 10-14. After graduating from American University with a degree in Health Promotion, she took a job as a tour guide where she planned and executed week-long vacations in various parts of the world. After 2 years in transit, she moved to Colorado in search of a sense of community, a new adventure, and a place to call home. She has certainly found that here at Vega Collegiate Academy.

Elvia Medina was born in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Colorado State University, with a Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice. She also has a Bachelor’s of Health and Human sciences in Social Work. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also loves to travel and try new things.

Charlie Milianti is a 7th grade STEM teacher and is originally from Round Lake, Illinois. They studied Religion and Spanish at Kalamazoo College in Michigan and graduated in 2018. Mx. M loves to do yoga, bake, and go on hikes with friends on the weekends. Their goal for our class is to have all the 7th graders have a chess competition by the end of the year in search for our Vega Chess Master!!

Frank Miller graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015 then moved to Colorado to pursue his goals of teaching. He began in outdoor education in the Rocky Mountains where he found his passion for education. Before beginning at Vega, he was an international tour guide for high school students and brought them to many different countries. In his free time he enjoys playing music and exploring around Colorado.

Theodore Miller has a Master's degree in Geology and enjoys collecting rocks as a hobby. Before coming to Vega, Mr. Miller was an exploration geologist where he used math and science to discover and study gold deposits in Nevada. In his free time he bakes bread, reads fiction, and plays video games.

JJ is from Oak Harbor, WA and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. It is his first year teaching at Vega and is joining the school through Teach For America. He loves all things sports and really enjoys traveling.

Mari Ordaz was born in California and raised in Michoacan, Mexico where she lived for 15 years. After that, she lived across the United States including California, Illinois, Arkansas, and finally Colorado. She is the proud mother of three awesome children, two of whom attend Vega. She loves working at Vega where she is surrounded by so many beautiful scholars who give so much love, and being close to her children. She loves her students and her cats.

Elizabeth Palma is from Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Aurora, Colorado. She graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2014 with a degree in English and a minor in Elementary Education. She is currently working on her Master’s degree in Education in Reading with a Reading Specialist Endorsement. This is her 8th year teaching elementary school. In the past, she has taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. In her free time, she likes to read and travel.

Becca Perez is originally from Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in Spanish. When she has free time, Ms. Perez loves to travel, hike, bake, spend time with family and friends. She likes to attend sporting events. Her favorite sports teams are the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers. She also has a dog named Diego, with who she loves to spend her free time. Ms. Perez is so excited to join the Vega team!

Zach Pierson is in his first year with Vega after moving to Colorado from Reno, Nevada. He has a B.S. in Economics from The University of Nevada, Reno and has taught all ages from preschool up to AP Calculus. In his free time Zach loves playing and coaching basketball, studying up on the economy, and finding all the best restaurants in town!

Maggie Pothier grew up in Maryland right outside of Washington D.C. She graduated from Boston College in 2018 with a bachelors degree in Applied Psychology and Human Development. After college she spent a year working in Denver Public School as a City Year Americorps member in a 4th grade classroom. She started at Vega in 2020 as a 3rd Grade and Special Education teacher. She likes spending time outside, cooking, and traveling.

Katherine Siriano is a 5th grade teacher at Vega. She graduated with a BA in History from Florida State University in 2017. She went on to teach 6th grade social studies at a middle school in Florida where she realized her passion for teaching. She later earned her MA in World War II Studies from Arizona State University. She is excited to join the Vega team and get to know her students. In her free time she likes being outside, reading, sewing, watching hockey, and playing with her cat and dog.

Zoe Stanton is a Paraeducator for Vega. She is originally from Chicago, IL and received her BA in Spanish and Psychology from Hope College in Holland, MI. Before coming to Vega, Zoe worked as a Behavior Technician at an Autism Clinic. She is passionate about building a sense of community and connecting with her students. In her free time, she loves to bake, go backpacking, and discover new restaurants around Denver.

Lance was born and raised in Northern Colorado and has lived in the Denver Metro area for several years now. When he is not teaching, he enjoys listening to music, going to concerts, Colorado Sports, and also loves movies. Lance is looking forward to a great year at Vega! Go Broncos!

Jennifer Udema is an elementary special education teacher at Vega Collegiate Academy and has been with the school since its founding year. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Metropolitan State University of Denver and is currently working on her masters degree. Jennifer has lived in Colorado forever and is so grateful to be able to work with such amazing students! Outside of school, she loves to go on adventures, read books, study animals, and win Tetris or Tekken matches.

Olivia Vigilanese grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in both elementary and special education. Her favorite children's book is Morris the Mankiest Monster. When she is not teaching, she loves reading, hiking, camping, spending time with friends and family, and adding to her Star Wars and Harry Potter collection.

Tirzha was born and raised in the Denver and Aurora area, and still lives not far from Vega with daughter. Always a lover of science and teaching, she taught at a science summer camp while earning a BA and MA from the University of Colorado Denver. Although she taught for a short time at UCD and Metropolitan State University, Tirzha is most passionate about middle schoolers and is so happy to be part of the Vega family. Known by students as Ms. Z, she teaches eighth grade science and math.

Alejandro Zamorano is originally from Southern California where he attended California State University Fullerton. After college, he taught 7th grade history and leadership in the Hollister School District in Northern California. When Alejandro isn't teaching, he enjoys lifting weights, hiking and backpacking in the outdoors, and trying new barbeque recipes on his grill.

Rosalba was born in Aguas Calientes, Mexico and moved to Texas, then Colorado about 10 years ago. Three of her four children attend Vega and love it! Rosalba likes to cook and listen to music and loves a strong cup of coffee.

Ms. Baez is a mom of three at Vega and has worked in education for several years. She enjoys spending time with her family and making the most of every day. Ms. Baez is excited to be on the Vega team and looks forward to growing and learning every day.

Lizbeth Garcia has been working at Vega for almost four years. While working at Vega, Liz realized how much she enjoy spending time with kids. She is currently a college student at Community College of Aurora. Liz is planning on getting her Bachelor's in biology and hopefully one day will be a teacher at Vega!

Ms. Lah is originally from Burma/Myanmar. She grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand. She speaks Karen, Burmese, and English. Lah immigrated to the US in 2015 and believes that education is one of the most important parts of life. She believes that education is the key to success, which is why she chose to work at Vega. When she has free time, she enjoys visiting with friends and families.

Keith Shaffer grew up and currently lives in Aurora, CO. He strongly believes in educational equity and that every student should have access to a successful future in school and beyond. Keith holds a Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. He loves to craft words and has written four novels, one of which is published.

Ms. Walker is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She moved to Colorado around 10 years ago, when she attended college at MSU Denver. She has a BS in Environmental Science, and recently completed her Master's degree in Critical Pedagogy with an endorsement in English Language Development. She loves to travel, make kombucha, play games of all kinds, go to the rock climbing gym, and hang out with her pets! She recently began raising chickens and is really into it.