Vanessa grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC. Born to a diverse family of educators, she became very familiar the field of education at a young age. She loved going to work with her parents to help out around the school and work with younger children. In college she studied Spanish literature and spent time studying abroad in Santiago, Chile, her mother’s home country. This gave her an opportunity to visit with family and perfect her Spanish.

Vanessa began working as a substitute teacher and though she had been pursuing a degree in Spanish Literature it became clear to her that she needed to teach. Craving excitement and diversity, Vanessa decided to move to New York City and further her own education in graduate school. This gave her an opportunity to work in several schools in New York City. She is currently finishing a degree in Bilingual, Special and General Education at Bank Street College of Education and is looking forward to many enriching years at The Earth School. In her free time Vanessa enjoys reading Spanish literature, attending music shows, and visiting museums.