Staff

Jihyun NamCreative Director

This summer, Stepping Stones Academy is proud to announce our collaboration with Mr. Jihyun Nam on our Tinker Studio curriculum. He has played a critical role as a digital artist for several complex and intense action-based feature film productions, such as Flags of Our Fathers and Academy Award-winning film, Life of Pi. He has also worked on grand installations by world-famous contemporary artists such as Bill Viola and Jenny Holzer. Over the past several months, Mr. Nam has been working with our curriculum team to develop a unique program of tech integration within our own arts and academic curriculum. With his help and knowledge, Stepping Stones is able to create our own accessible software and digital tools exclusive only for our students. 

Stephanie AisawaSummer Program Director

(Session 1, 2 & 5) Stephanie Aisawa has been with Stepping Stones for over 10 years. She started with Stepping Stones as a summer program teacher and later became the Pre-Kindergarten teacher for two years before becoming the Kindergarten teacher for four years. She is currently the 1 st Grade Teacher at Stepping Stones Academy as well as the Head Kindergarten Coordinator. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach
with a BA in Liberal Studies and worked with primary grade level children throughout her studies in college.

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Session 1, 2 & 5

Soomi ParkSummer Program Director

Soomi Park, 2nd grade teacher at Stepping Stones Academy, graduated from University of California, Irvine in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a minor in education. She then received her Master of Education degree from Cal State Fullerton and also obtained her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential in 2014. Throughout her teaching career, Ms. Soomi has worked in various classroom settings including public, private, and charter schools, teaching students ranging from grades 1-6. In addition to teaching, Ms. Soomi has also volunteered in several after school programs throughout Orange County. She will be in charge of the summer program for Sessions 3, 4 & 5.

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Session 3 & 4

Paul KimCurriculum Coordinator/Robotics Instructor

Paul Kim is currently the STEM teacher and Curriculum Coordinator for Stepping Stones Academy. He has a strong interest in technology education and materials and is knowledgeable on projects ranging from animation, circuits, 3-D printing, and single board computers. He graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on Elementary Education. He also has a background in Studio Arts/Art History. He hopes to integrate the use of technology with creative art to create a program that is both entertaining and educational for our students.

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STEM teacher 

Alix DemingReading/Writing Instructor

Alix Deming teaches third grade here at Stepping Stones. She graduated from Biola University with a degree in Elementary Education and a concentration in Special Education. She is currently working on her Masters Degree at Biola University towards her Masters in Education. She has worked in many different school environments from public, private, and charter as well as having worked with all grade levels from Transitional Kindergarten to High School.  She helps tutor students on the weekends as well as teaching in summer school through different organizations.

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Reading/Writing

Brittany BaumanBasketball Instructor

Brittany Bauman received her BA in psychology from Hope International University. She attended Hope International University on a basketball scholarship. During her four years as a college athlete, she won one tournament championship and made it to the National Tournament in Kentucky. After her college career, she became an assistant varsity coach at Villa Park High School and later became the head Freshman/Sophomore coach. She is currently the kindergarten teacher at
Stepping Stones Academy. She also holds basketball classes for Stepping Stones Academy students after school.

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Basketball Instructor

Katie VojtaArt Teacher

Katie Vojta received her BA from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and her MA in Painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has also studied child development at Harold Washington College in Chicago where she did follow up course work at the Esperanza School working mainly with students with both physical and developmental disabilities. Her Paintings have been exhibited and collected throughout the globe, from Art Miami to galleries in Chicago, Washington DC, and the Mediterranean. The Hyatt Regency at Fisherman’s Warf in San Francisco has her work in a permanent collection, and her animation work has also been showcased in Holland’s internationally acclaimed musician, Tiesto.

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Art Teacher

Kathy SerranoArt Teacher

Kathy Serrano graduated from California State Polytechnic University with a BA in Fine Arts. She started at Stepping Stones Academy early January of the 2016-17 school year. During the summer of 2017 she became the Art Teacher for the now 1 st graders. During the 2017-18 school year she became the lead TK teacher and Private Art teacher for TK and Kinder.

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Art Teacher

Ashley Gorney-GladdenArt Teacher

Ashley Gorney-Gladden started working with children when she worked as the Art Director for St. Stephen Lutheran Summer Camp. Since that first position, she has held numerous positions throughout the state of Michigan as an Art Instructor. She graduated from Concordia University with a BA in Fine Arts Education.

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Art Teacher