Isa Oropeza: Ms. Isa has been working in education for over 15 years. She started in afterschool programming working in various Bay Area school districts and with various non-profits. She joined the UMCS community in 2018 and since has taught in primary and upper elementary classrooms. She is also a member of the Oakland Montessori Teacher Residency, pursuing her Montessori teaching credential. Ms. Isa is a proud East Oakland native and Chicana, as well as a UMCS parent. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, son and cat Murray.

Desmarie Jackson: Teacher Desmarie has been in the education field for 5 years, working with kids as young as 3 and as old as 14 in a variety of settings. Their work has always been rooted in social justice and supporting young people to be their full, powerful, autonomous selves. Through their expertise with community-based self-directed learning models, Teacher Desmarie is excited to empower UMCS’s students to reach their full potential through Montessori curriculum. Aside from teaching, Desmarie is a longtime poet and performer, a learning deejay, and passionate cat lover with two fur babies at home.