Preschool Teacher Profiles
Tiffany Poon
Preschool Director
B.A in Child Development and Family Study, CSU Long Beach
Ms. Poon was born and raised in Hong Kong, China. At the age of 18, she came to the US to pursue a higher education by attending the California State University, Long Beach with a concentration in Child Development and Family Study. She has been working with children for over 5 years. Ms. Poon believes that early education is like a cornerstone that lays a foundation in children and guides them as they learn and grow. Furthermore, she also values the uniqueness of learning for each individual student. She is hoping to assist her students to search for their unique learning styles and develop their potential in a comfortable learning environment. Besides working with kids on campus, Ms. Poon also loves camping, hiking, drawing, and spending time with her family.
Karla Escalera
Lead English/Spanish Teacher
B.A in Child & Adolescents Development, Cal State of Fullerton
AA in Social & Behavioral Science, Humanities & Communication, Santiago Canyon College
Karla has been working in Early Childhood Education for seven years. She attended Santiago Canyon College and obtained two Associates degrees in Social and Behavioral Sciences and in Humanities and Communication. Karla was accepted to Cal State University of Fullerton where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Child and Adolescents Development. Throughout her education, she worked for the Orange Unified School District for six years. Karla decided to expand her knowledge and proceeded to obtain her ECE classes to become a preschool teacher. Karla has been a preschool teacher for the past year and a half and is extremely excited to grow at Pacific Academy.
Ashley Xiao
Chinese Teacher
B.A Education Science, specializing in Early Childhood Education, University of California Irvine
M.A., Educational Counseling, USC
Ms. Ashley is a dedicated preschool teacher, born and raised in Guangdong, China. She pursued higher education in the United States, graduating from UCI with a bachelor's degree
in Education Science specializing in Early Childhood Education and later earning a Master of Education degree from USC in Educational Counseling. Passionate about children's development, she values holistic learning and individual differences. Committed to guiding
her students in their zone of proximal development, she fosters an inclusive, supportive classroom environment. Beyond teaching, Ms. Ashley enjoys snowboarding, swimming, crocheting, and watching movies.
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Alicia Medina
English/Spanish Teacher
B.A. Human Development - Early Childhood Development,
Cal State East Bay
Ms. Alicia graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Human Development, with a concentration in Early Childhood Development, from Cal State East Bay. Alicia initiated her career as an Applied Behavior Analysis therapist at Port View Preparatory for two years before transitioning to teaching. She pursued her Montessori Credentials through the American Montessori Society at the Montessori Western Teacher Training Program. Alicia began as an assistant teacher at Newport Montessori before progressing to become a lead teacher for preschool for five years. She has greatly enjoyed witnessing her students' growth in various areas of the classroom, from enhanced confidence and independence to improved problem-solving skills and Spanish language acquisition. Ms. Alicia is thrilled to join Pacific Academy as a preschool Spanish teacher.
Anqi Liu
Chinese Teacher
M.A Psychology, Pepperdine University
Ms. Liu was born and raised in Beijing, China. She came to the United States in 2014 for her studies abroad. Ms. Liu recently earned her Master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University, Fullerton. With three years of experience in the education industry, Ms. Liu is passionate about early childhood education. She believes that educating children is a reciprocal process, where she continues to learn and grow alongside her students. Ms. Liu enjoys exploring different areas with her students, fostering a learning environment where both teaching and learning are joyful experiences. In her free time, Ms. Liu enjoys making coffee, photographing, and traveling to different places with her two-year-old Labrador.
