Spanish Program Faculty

Alina Cortazar

Alina comes from Madrid, Spain and received her bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Speech Therapy from the University Complutense de Madrid. She was a public employee of the Spanish government for five years, working as an elementary teacher in a bilingual primary school where she taught literacy, math, science and arts and crafts. Alina has always loved languages, and has lived in both France and England. She recently completed a teacher training course at Chicester University in England. Alina enjoys languages (especially English and French), technology, sports, traveling and music.

Luis Diaz

A native of Cantabria in northern Spain, Luis specialized in language and education at the Universidad del País Vasco in Spain and Leipzig Universität in Germany. He completed his teaching degree at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Luis’s studies emphasized education, leadership and culture. He has experience teaching different age groups, ranging from elementary to high school, and he has taught theater, folk arts and crafts and constructive dynamics for more than five years. Apart from the education field, Luis has worked as a manager, interpreter and translator for a European Union Information Desk.

Aiora Etxebarria

Aiora is from Bilbao, Spain–part of the Basque country. She speaks Basque, Spanish and English. Aiora holds bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education and physical education. Growing up in a family of teachers made her very passionate about the teaching profession.  She has 6 years of experience, the last 4 were spent with children ages 2-6. Aiora believes in active and hands-on learning. Although this is her first time in the United States, Aiora studied English in both England and Ireland. She enjoys skating, skiing, canoeing, and playing football in her free time.

Anna Sancho Perez Frances

Anna comes from Barcelona, Spain. She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Intercultural Education from the University of Ramon Llull Blanquerna in Barcelona. Before arriving at DMIS, Anna worked in another bilingual environment at the AULA European School in Barcelona as a Spanish teacher. Along with English and Spanish, Anna speaks Catalan fluently. She loves teaching, along with reading, skiing, traveling and learning new languages.

Laura Garcia

Laura Garcia hails from Cullera-Valencia, Spain, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history at the University of Valencia. She earned her teaching certificate at the University of Castilla La Mancha. Laura also studied at the University of Venice in Italy and is fluent in Italian — as well as Catalonia and English. She has taught at both the elementary and high school levels and has worked as a librarian and archivist. Laura will be assisting Amelie in the library this year.

Luis “Alberto” Gonzalez

Luis “Alberto” holds bachelor’s degrees in physical education and Spanish language from the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain. Before arriving at DMIS, Alberto taught 3rd grade at a bilingual school in Athens, Texas for 4 years and has over 10 years experience teaching and coaching.  In addition to English and Spanish, he also speaks French fluently. Alberto is pursuing his master’s degree in Education with an emphasis on the Spanish language.

Joanna Hanby

Originally from Conn., Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science with a minor in Spanish from the University of Richmond. She has lived in Spain and is fluent in Spanish. Joanna enjoys playing soccer, lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons in her free time. This is her third year at DMIS.

Carla Jimenez

Carla is originally from Bogotá, Colombia.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the Universidad de Pedagogica Nacional de Colombia. Carla has over 25 years of teaching experience, and was the founding teacher of the 3 year old program at DMIS in 2007. Before bringing her expertise to DMIS, Carla spent many years teaching English as a second language in Colombia, and then several years teaching Spanish in an immersion program in the Moorhead School District in Minnesota. As a product of an immersion education herself, Carla understands the process of second language acquisition from the perspective of a teacher, student and as a parent. When she’s not teaching at DMIS, Carla works as a professional medical interpreter and translator for various hospitals in Denver. Carla enjoys reading (in both Spanish and English) in her free time, especially the latest research about bilingual education.

Maria Lara

Maria was born in Lima, Peru but has lived in the United States for the past 40 years. She has an associate’s degree in child care with an emphasis in child development from the Community College of Denver. Maria teaches arts and crafts in her spare time, loves to cook and runs a small cleaning business with her sister.

Carmen Izquierdo Martinez

Carmen, a native of Spain, has a bachelor’s degree in education. In addition to being a substitute teacher for preschool and elementary classes in Spain, she also taught many arts and crafts activities throughout the Valentian school community, including drama, theater, drawing and painting.

Patricia Mestres

Patricia Mestres was born in Mérida, a small city in southern Spain. She has a bachelor’s degree in primary education, with a concentration in English and physical education from the Universidad Pontificia of Salamanca. She worked as a rhythmic gymnastics teacher for three years in Mérida, coaching students ages 5-12. She also has worked as a primary teacher at a bilingual school in Madrid. In her free time, she likes traveling, reading, writing, meeting new people and learning about different cultures.

Alex Ruz

Alex Ruz speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish, and she has worked in Early Childhood Education programs for more than a decade. Alex was born in Florence, Italy, and spent her early childhood there and in the United States. At the age of 9, she moved with her family to Mexico City, where she studied for five years. She came to Colorado in 2006 with her husband — a native of France — and two children. Alex enjoys music, art, reading, snow skiing and yoga.

Ainhoa Sanchez

Ainhoa received a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of The Basque Country, and also completed training as a Speech Therapy and Speaking Disorders Specialist. She believes in strong communication with parents and in providing a safe and secure environment for her students. Ainhoa has five years of teaching experience.
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