Coach Biographies
> Getting a Coach
Amber Marx
Amber was born and raised in the San Ramon Valley completing her BA in Liberal Arts at San Francisco State University. She earned her teaching credential at Saint Marys College with a focus on Special Education. Working in this area has been a dream of Ambers since elementary school, where she was motivated by a Special Education Teacher who taught her strategies that would help her be successful in the regular classroom.
Amber also completed a Multiple Subject Credential to provide her with an academic background that enabled her to teach core subjects (math, science, English, etc) while creating an academic curriculum for students with learning disabilities. Currently, Amber is working as a special education teacher at the high school level, providing support to special education students in academic classes and creating and managing IEPs.
For a short get-a-way, Amber will pack up her dog, baby boy, and husband and sneak off to the beach to enjoy the clean air and the sound of the waves.
Beth Samuelson
See Biography for more information.
Cara Locke
Cara was born and raised in the Midwest, and after teaching high school English in Chicago, Turkey and Scotland, settled in California. She is still discovering the treasures of the Bay Area and spends much of her free time attending events involving art, literature, politics, and history. She also loves the outdoors - hiking, camping, kayaking, and biking and feels privileged to have finally landed in a place where she can count on the weather.
After twelve years of teaching English, Cara returned to school is working on her masters in clinical psychology; she plans to be a school psychologist. While teaching, Cara gained an insight into the challenges of accommodating a classroom of students with various learning styles, learning challenges, and levels of physical and emotional development. Through experience and training in programs like AVID, a college prep and study skills elective class, and The Bay Area Writing Project; Cara has learned best practices that serve students individual needs.
Daniel McDonnell
Daniel is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He discovered his interest in teaching when he was 17 working as a ski instructor for a local youth club. He attended the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire where he worked as an outdoor guide while earning degrees in biology and education. Daniel’s original teaching credentials are in high school biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. Daniel’s passion for travel took over after graduation when he began leading international student groups through Latin America. His programs focus on community service and cultural exchange. Through his time in Latin America, Daniel became very involved with social justice and global equality. After five years of traveling, Daniel settled in the Bay Area, where he returned to the classroom. Keeping social justice at the core of his work, Daniel taught for a continuation school in Marin County serving young people who were previously unsuccessful in high school. Daniel also taught at a public charter in Oakland for underserved and first generation college bound students.
When he’s not working, Daniel enjoys climbing, sailing, skiing, cycling, and planning his next adventure while tending his small garden, complete with chickens.
Gretchen Wegner
Gretchen was born in San Francisco, but grew up traveling the world with her family. As a child, she sighted kangaroos in Australia and lived in a village in Egypt. Her family finally settled in Houston, Texas where Gretchen was a theatre major at the High School for Performing and Visual Arts. Her interest in international studies brought her to Macalester College in Minnesota, where she graduated with highest honors in Intercultural Performance Studies.
Her next adventure was in India as a Fulbright Research Scholar. It was here that Gretchen realized that her true calling was teaching. When she returned to the United States, she spent three years teaching drama and social skills through CLIMB Theatre in Minnesota. Gretchen still loves the fact that "CLIMB" stands for Creative Learning Ideas for Mind and Body because this describes her whole approach to teaching and learning. She strongly believes that everyone is an expert learner, but sometimes they need a creative approach to discovering this expertise. She is passionate about helping kids figure out how their brains tick, and then channel that knowledge into success at school and in life. Over the last ten years she has worked with elementary, middle, and high school students teaching world history, language arts, study skills, improvisation and public speaking. She has worked successfully with all levels, from self-contained special education students to Advanced Placement--and even graduate students!
When Gretchen is not teaching, you can find her in front of her backyard fireplace, or attending an InterPlay improvisation class where she gets to be extremely goofy. She also enjoys hiking, backpacking, and swing dance.
Testimonials
Jenny Budke
Jenny was born in Berkeley, and is a Lamorinda native. A graduate of Miramonte High School, she graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design and a minor in English. Jenny entered the single subject tract at Cal Poly to earn her teaching credential.
Jenny spent summers coaching swimming in Lafayette, and continued coaching with both USS clubs and adult masters’ teams. This was the beginning of her passion for working with adolescents, specifically working individually to set goals and fine tune techniques and training practices. Jenny is a firm believer that consistent involvement in sports and activities during this tumultuous period of the teen years prepares students for the victories of hard work in academics and life beyond.
Jenny has taught fine art for elementary and high schoolers in Walnut Creek. She has also taught home economics to middle and high schoolers in both Walnut Creek and San Jose. She created tutoring program for middle school students in math, and applies hands on and visual learning as much as possible.
Jenny is grateful for the ability to work two diverse fields: financial/accounting, and education. She also is employed as an archivist and special projects aficionado of a small dynamic company, which appeals to her logical, and interpersonal learning styles. S.O.S. allows her to utilize her visual and kinesthetic skills. She believes that being in two distinctly different fields is a healthy balance and allows her to understand the kinds of organizational skills required of students once they graduate.
In her very limited spare time, she does indoor rowing and is looking forward to trying her luck with some racing soon. She enjoys playing with her young daughter, Elyse, and then spending a quiet evening with her husband!
Matt Foley
Matt grew up in the hills of rural Maine where he cultivated a love for the outdoors. As an Asian Studies major at Trinity College in Connecticut, Matt combined interests in Eastern philosophy, biology, and psychology. In the professional world, Matt has used experiential teaching and mentoring techniques as a teacher for underprivileged teens in Maine, a director for study abroad programs in China and India, an educator instrumental in the creation of a web based China-US exchange program, and most recently as a tutor with Berkeley High School for low-income and under-represented students. Matt's ability to listen to and empathize with students allows him to pinpoint challenges at both academic and personal levels, and to work to achieve success and confidence. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in psychology with a focus on adolescents.
Matt's passion for teaching and mentoring has taken him around the world and back; it’s also allowed him to teach and pursue diverse subjects from Mandarin Chinese to jazz drumming. Having moved recently from Beijing to Berkeley, Matt's nascent ping-pong addiction complements other life long interests in basketball, mountain biking, and skiing.
Testimonials
Regina Guerra
Regina was born in Chicago and moved to the Bay Area to attend Mills College in Oakland. To prove to herself that she could do it, Regina enrolled in Calculus in college and discovered a love of math and physics. She spent her junior year in London at King’s College. While pursuing her degree, Regina worked as a conversation partner for international students and as a resident advisor for EF International. In addition to math and physics, Regina studied dance, creative writing, astronomy, and foreign languages. After graduating with her Bachelor’s degree Regina spent time in Germany working as an English tutor and taking dance classes.
Regina worked as a high school math teacher at a laboratory school in Johnson City, Tennesse while she was earning her Master’s degree in Education. She taught all levels of math but particularly enjoyed Geometry where she could help students navigate this rite of passage. Regina uses humor to help students approach math with less anxiety. Her favorite mantra is: Fractions are People Too! While attending East Tennessee State University she wrote a restaurant review column for the college paper and dabbled in Contra dancing and website design.
Regina considers herself a "Renaissance Soul" with interests in many areas. In her free time she likes reading (especially books about brain research and cultural anthropology), dancing, playing with her two sons, riding her bike, and eating delicious meals cooked by her husband. Regina’s goals include becoming fluent in Spanish, writing a book, and starting a business.
Sarah Ruvolo
Sarah was born in Concord and grew up in Orinda graduating from Miramonte High School. She went on to study at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she had her first taste of teaching while working as a peer study group leader leading one on one and small group review sessions. Sarah graduated from Cal Poly with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After graduation she pursued her interest in education and love of nature by working as an educator at Aquarium of the Bay.
Sarah earned her teaching credential at Cal State East bay and has worked as a science teacher at Orion Academy, a college preparatory high school for students with Asperger’s disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disorder, since 2001. By teaching a range of science classes covering both the physical and life sciences, she has created and identified tools and strategies to help students be successful and identifying the ones that work best for each student.
Always up for an adventure, Sarah has taken several residential summer teaching positions taking her to different locations throughout the country and teaching a wide variety of students. These include three summers teaching at John’s Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Program and a Fall Semester teaching environmental education at an outdoor ecology school on the coast of Maine. While journeys across the country are always a thrill and a great way to gain new life experiences, Sarah is always drawn back to the bay area and is enjoying establishing roots as a new homeowner.
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