We would like you to meet Karina Saavedra-Mendez. She is the Lead Teacher for our morning preschool class and has been teaching with Aventuras since opening day. Maestra Karina is an engaging educator and a pleasure to work with. Please join me in getting to know her in her own words:

Hello! My name is Karina Saavedra-Mendez and I am from Usulután, El Salvador and have been living in Lincoln for 20 years.  My family consists of my husband William and I, along with our three sons and one daughter-in-law, Axel, 23, and his wife, Kiera, 23, (who live in Overland Park, Kansas) Fabricio, 22 (who lives in Lincoln), and our youngest, Thiago, who is 3. My family speaks both English and Spanish at home, and I think that it is very important for children to be bilingual, because it opens up new opportunities for children as they become older.

Before becoming a teacher at Aventuras, I was a Health Tech for Lincoln Public Schools for 13 years and worked at Clinton Elementary, even though I am not working as a permanent health tech, I am still working as a substitute when I can.

I still work for LPS as a Spanish interpreter and have just entered into my 16^th year in that line of work. For the past 15 years, during tax season I have worked at H&R Block as a Tax Specialist, and it is something that I look forward to every year.

I also volunteer at our church for teaching Sunday school to preschool aged children and have been doing so for around 8 years now. In my free time I enjoy going to church and participating in church activities and I also enjoy going to and finding new coffee places around Lincoln to relax. I hope you were able to learn a little about me and I am excited to be on this journey with you and your children at Aventuras!