Yulisa is a PE Teacher from Panajachel. Her passion is teaching and learning and is currently receiving her license in Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation.
She is a beginner's basketball coach who loves seeing the smile on students' faces when they learn something new.
She believes that respect and empathy are two of the most important characteristics that we can have, and she loves sharing that with her students.

Wyatt was born in California, where he fell in love with Latin American food and developed his passion for elementary education and traveling. He values his ability to connect with people and approaches every culture with compassion and curiosity. Wyatt has taught in Morocco, Thailand, and Palau, experiences that deepened his love for learning from communities around the world. He first traveled to Panajachel in high school and is excited to come full circle—returning to live, teach, and grow in a place he has always thought was beautiful. He is grateful to begin this next chapter alongside his wife.

Luis Antonio Azañon, otherwise known as Professor Toño, was born in Sololá and raised in different municipalities of Quiché. This movement allowed him to understand and appreciate the cultural richness of Guatemala's people. He studied in Quetzaltenango, where he graduated as a Secondary School Teacher in Psychology, and he is currently a psychologist in training.
He is passionate about working with young people, supporting them in their learning processes, and motivating them to discover their potential. Outside of academics, He truly enjoys soccer and video games, which also teaches him about teamwork, strategy, and discipline.

Sofía is originally from Panajachel. She graduated from high school with a certification as an accountant, and is currently finishing her postgraduate studies at the Mariano Gálvez University in the city of Quetzaltenango.
She is passionate about contributing to the developemtn of the educational community of Panajachel and is grateful to have joined the LIFE School team in 2022.

Silvia is from Monte Mercedes, Sololá. She graduated from the Sololateco Integral College of Infant Eduation.
She also graduated with a degree as a high school teacher from the University of San CArlos de Guatemala.
Since 2014 she has been part of LIFE School as a Kinder A teacher, and she really loves imparting knowledge.

Ron Gage is originally from the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. He has been living in Guatemala for the past three years and enjoys reading, cooking, staying active, and spending time in nature. He is happy to be a part of the Life School Guatemala community and to help students learn, grow, and thrive.

Patricia Chilet is from Connecticut, USA.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Connecticut.  She is certified as an International Baccalaureate teacher as well as being a certified Cambridge International Educator. She has lived and taught in several Latin American countries, including serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala.  She has most recently taught in Peru. In her free time she enjoys reading, listening to music by the Beatles, and watching baseball (Go Mets!).  She is excited to be a part of the LIFE School community.

Omar has been a PE teacher since 2012 and he is currently finishing his last semester to receive his license in PE, Sports, and Recreation.
He loves to learn, teach, and share knowledge and he loves bringing happiness into the lives of his children through his classes.
He is motivated to contribute to the education in his municipality and his country, and he is happy to be a part of LIFE School where he can impact many students.

Nicole is an educator with over 20 years of experience. She is originally from Texas and has lived and taught in a variety of schools in the U.S.A. and abroad. She was a Fulbright Teacher Exchange participant in Mexico. She has called Panajachel home for the previous 13 years. Her interests include reading, walking, and spending time with friends. Her teaching philosophy centers around the development of the whole student.

Mónica Gutiérrez was born in Sololá, Guatemala. She is passionate about education, languages, and creating meaningful learning experiences.

She studied PEM in English at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and is currently continuing her professional journey by studying at Universidad Mariano Gálvez de Guatemala.

Outside of her academic and professional life, Mónica enjoys reading and listening to music. She also has a special love for sunsets. She finds them beautiful and inspiring, and they remind her to slow down, appreciate the moment, and enjoy the little things in life.

Mónica believes that learning is a lifelong journey. She is always looking for opportunities to grow, learn something new, and share her knowledge with others.

Originally from Boston, Ma, USA. Molly has been teaching for over ten years and she joined LIFE School in 2020. She has worked in public and private schools both internationally and in the states.
Molly has taught Pre-K through 5th, with the much experience in early years. She is Montessori and ABA trained. Molly holds a degree in Humanities from Champion Sollege in Sydney, Australia.
She has lived and taught in many countries, most recentrly having taught in Myanmar. Molly is passionate about education and enjoys reading, writing and traveling.

Michael is originally from Belfast, Ireland. His first degree was in French and Spanish before he decided to move into education. He has been recentrly working with children with Special Educational Needs and has found it really inspiring.
He loves teaching as it is never boring, and each day is different. He really enjoys seeing the growth in his pupils as learners and as human beings.
Outside of work, he loves cooking and eating new foods,learning new languages, reading and all kinds of sports (particularly basketball). He joined LIFE School and the wider community in 2023. 

María Elena Criado is from San Pedro La Laguna. She graduated as a bilingual secretary. María Elena is now a Middle School Teacher and has a Bachelor's Degree in Educational Administration. María Elena joined the LIFE School administrative team as a Secretary in 2014, and is happy to be part of the LIFE family.

Loida Betía Ajiquichí Sicajau is originally from Panajachel, Sololá. She is an elementary teacher studying a second career to be a Pedagogical High School Teacher in Educational Administration at a local University.
Loida's many years of experience have been served with dedication and love in various local schools, and she has been at LIFE School since 2015. Connecting with the students is very special to her, as well as having a unique time learning and sharing interesting things with them every day. She has loved the opportunity of teaching and learning at the same time now that she is part of LIFE School.

Jose Luis is the school’s Jack-of-all-trades. He is from Panajachel and enjoys being a member of the LIFE School community along with his wife and son, who is a proud graduate of the school.
He has been at LIFE School since 2011.

Originally from Panajachel, he graduated from high school with a specialty in computing.
He is currently studying a Bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and Educational Administration at the Universidad Panamericana.
He seeks to ensure that the learning can be applied to real life; he is motivated that students can use what they learn in class in other areas. 

Jesús is from Panajachel, Sololá, Guatemala. He has a degree in agroforestry. He has taught topics of sustainable production and entrepreneurship on livestock and agricultural production to high school students in addition to giving reinforcement classes in Basic Chemistry for students who want to enter university. Jesús likes to go for walks, watch sunsets, and play basketball. He is delighted with the excellent work and general environment that LIFE school has. He likes to learn new things every day with each student he works with and he also likes to meet new people who come from other parts of the world.

Herdy is originally from Panajachel. She is a psychologist and educator who is passionate about supporting her students throughout their learning and growth. Her background in Clinical Psychology complements her vocation for education, with a special focus on emotional well-being and creating spaces where students feel heard, understood, and supported.
She enjoys getting to know each student’s strengths, celebrating their achievements, and helping them discover what they are capable of achieving. For her, education is also about building meaningful connections rooted in empathy and trust.
In her free time, she enjoys singing, playing the ukulele, and spending time with her family and friends. Sunsets are also one of her favorite things to enjoy.

Esthela is from Patanatic, Solola. She speaks Quiche and Spanish. She loves to cook and play soccer.

She is very happy to be part of the LIFE school community, where she has been contributing along with her husband Luis and son Bryan since 2011.

Estela González Par is from the village of Chaquijya, Sololá and she speaks Kaqchikel, Spanish, and English. She obtained a degree specializing in Tourism and Ecotourism and then completed her teacher training at the Universidad del Valle, Altiplano Campus, finishing her coursework as a secondary school teacher specializing in English.
She has experience with elementary school students and adolescents, teaching English and Social Studies amongst other subjects. Considering that Guatemala is a multilingual and multicultural country, she believes it's important to learn a new language and be multilingual, as this ability opens doors to new cultures, opportunities, and ways of thinking.
For Estela, teaching is not just about transmitting information and knowledge, but about inspiring learning, fostering belief in each student's potential, and guiding and supporting them in their learning process. In her career as a teacher she works diligently and with dedication to contribute to society.
She is a creative, kind, responsible, outgoing, sociable, and athletic person who enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and learning about new cultures and people.

Esmirna is from Panajachel and is a teacher specializing in Intercultural Bilingual Early Childhood Education. She is passionate about teaching and the art of sharing knowledge, focusing her work on ensuring children achieve practical, engaging, entertaining, and effective learning within a pleasant and welcoming environment. Convinced of her students' unique potential, she has full confidence in each individual's capacity for growth. She has seven years of experience in the field of education, during which time she has worked with students of various ages. For her, the greatest professional and personal satisfaction comes from witnessing her students' holistic development. In her free time, she enjoys sports, watching sunsets, and spending time with her family. She is also delighted to be part of the great team at LIFE School.

Eliezer López is a teacher committed to the education and comprehensive development of his students. Throughout his teaching career, he has worked in comprehensive, scientific, pedagogical and moral teaching, guiding children and young people in the learning process through creative and innovative methodologies. His pedagogical approach is based on active learning, exploration, personal and scientific expression.
In his classes, he seeks to promote critical thinking, creativity and collaboration, using different learning methodologies as tools to improve communication, self-esteem and understanding of the environment.
He has years of experience in the planning and implementation of educational programs adapted to different levels, from the primary level to the diversified level, integrating strategies that allow students to develop skills in visual arts, theater, literature, social sciences and oral expression. In addition, he works on the formation of language and writing, strengthening the students' ability to analyze and express themselves. 

Born in Panajachel, a business administrator, Carmen started her relationship with LIFE School as a mother of a student and has been part of the LIFE School staff as the Administrative Coordinator since 2018.

She very much enjoys being part of an educational project that helps the Panajachel community.

Bethany is originally from Wisconsin in the United States, where she majored in History Education at St. Norbert College. She has previously taught in Dubai, UAE. Bethany loves teaching students about the world around them and helping them to discover their interests. She is very happy to be a member of the LIFE School Community and to teach grade 5!

Ayelén brings a rich, multicultural background to her teaching. Her lifelong dedication to working with children spans across Europe, ranging from working as an au pair and supporting minors in foster care centers to specializing as a Primary and SEN teacher. She also holds a master's degree in Social Intervention for at risk minors.
Having recently taught in both Spain and the UK, Ayelén is known for her ability to build deep, empathetic connections with students. Guided by the belief that "we learn through children learning," she finds true fulfillment in growing alongside her students. Outside of LIFE School, she loves reading, playing sports, and spending time in nature."

Analy is from Santa Lucía Utatlán. She recently graduated with a degree in Science and Letters with a focus on Education.
She is furthering her studies as she seeks a degree in teaching English as a foreign language.
Analy loves spending time with children, taking care of them and making them feel secure. 
She is happy to be part of the LIFE School team.

Abigail is a passionate educator and a lifelong learner. She began teaching in her hometown in Virginia when she was 22, shortly after completing an undergratuate degree in elementary education and theatre. After six years of teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten in Virginia public schools, Abigail made the move to a private school in Guatemala City. She quickly fell in love with the country, especially Lake Atitlán.
She also has a certificate in gifted and talented instruction. One of her greatest joys is teaching young learners through play.
When she is not teaching she is knitting sweaters and baking vegan desserts. Abigail joined the team in 2023 and she is very excited to call Panajachel home.