Maríateresa Torres MaríaTeresa Torres is the lead instructor of Amigos de Palo Alto and has been working with young children for over 20 years, in both the private sector as well as 9 years as a Teacher's Aid for the Palo Alto Unified School District. She loves working with children of all ages, and has a special gift for teaching them to read and write.   Educated in Colombia, Germany and the United States, Maríateresa has extensive experience working with children in both individual and group learning settings, and has worked with children and families from all over the world.   Maríateresa’s personal interests include the global melting pot of the World Cup (Soccer), which she has traveled to and attended in person every four years since 1982.  An accomplished cook, she also enjoys sharing the favorite dishes of her native Bogotá, Colombia.

Nohora Rodriguez Nohora Rodriquez is a graduate of San Buenaventura University with a degree in Education Administration.  She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia.  After graduating from University she worked first as a Spanish language teacher in a private elementary school and later was appointed Vice Principal, a post she held for over 4 years before moving to Northern California in 1998, where she has worked as both a Tutor and Nanny. In addition to working as a teacher at Amigos, Nohora is also our Site Director.   Nohora continues to build on her credentials in child development and teaching, doing coursework at Foothill College toward a degree in Child Development and Education.   In her spare time, Nohora likes to cook and spend time with family and friends.  She loves the outdoors, and she also loves to travel. She enjoys working at Amigos de Palo Alto and inspiring children to learn Spanish in a fun and nurturing way.

Carolina Sanabria Carolina is our newest teacher, who also graduated from San Buenaventura University in Bogotá with a degree in Preschool Education. While living in Colombia, she worked for 4 years with preschool- and elementary school-aged children.  She is our in-house artist, directing and organizing all of our arts and crafts projects in class. She also loves to read to the kids, and work with them to improve their reading and writing skills. When Carolina is not working with the children, she likes to dance, do aerobics, and watch sports (soccer, of course).

Kelly Kelly is a teacher's aid at Amigos.  She has a special way of being with the children, providing them with love and nurturing support.  She was born in Colombia and currently taking classes at Foothill College, with an emphasis in Child Development, so that she can continue to assist us in our classroom.