Meet the Team

One of my greatest joys is answering to “Miss Jess” here at LARCS.  Many days I still marvel that God called this Colorado girl to the big city.  For years my dream was to take my English Language Learner Studies degree and teach overseas, but God surprised me by clearly leading to Los Angeles instead—where I still get to teach ELL students!

While I enjoy teaching because it’s so satisfying to guide young minds academically, I love it because of the joy of walking with young hearts.  School is much more than academics; it should be a safe place for students to process life and the One Who created them.  Each student brings their own story, and it’s a gift to mentor them—to give them Jesus—as their stories continue to script.  This is what propels me, and it’s what redeems the challenges along the way.

Stepping into LARCS, I was unprepared for how my students would shape and change me.  They’ve pushed me to the Father in deeper ways and showed me His heart afresh.  They’ve reshaped my definition of love.  A verse that has guided me the past few years is, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (II Corinthians 12:15a).  I can think of no better way to be spent than by sharing God’s love with His precious children—and I’m thankful that I get to do it in Los Angeles.