Amanda Is a member of the deaf culture with both parents being deaf and brings her experience and knowledge to her ASL students. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from San Diego State University, where she graduated Cum Laude.

Amanda has been teaching in the 1:1 model and virtual classroom since 2017. Prior to her Teaching career she was an interpreter and paraeducator for the deaf and hard of hearing progam at Escondido High School.

She enjoys watching Anime, reading and playing video games in her free time.

Tricia holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a master’s in biology from Murray State University. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Virginia Tech and is set to graduate with a PhD in Educational Psychology/ Integrative STEM Education in May of 2024. She taught anatomy and physiology courses at Murray State University for 3 years and many different high school science courses for 10 years, including both in-person and online courses.

In her free time, Tricia loves to hike with her beagle named Ranger and go on camping and fly fishing trips with her husband Tony. When she has time off from her passion of teaching students, she loves to travel both domestically and internationally. She has visited the birthplace of the modern theory of evolution: the Galapagos Islands, near South America!

Asfia has a Bachelor of Science from Benedictine University in with a major in biology and minor in secondary education. Asfia also earned a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Kaplan University. Asfia’s first teaching experience was at an alternative charter high school in Ohio. She also served as an Assistant Principal and interim principal in before taking a break from teaching to raise her family. More recently, Asfia worked with curriculum development at a community charter school and worked as an AVID tutor in Illinois. As an educator, Asfia is passionate about creating a fostering environment which maximizes students’ educational, socio-emotional and individual development. She focuses on forming positive relations and keeping students’ learning needs, styles, interests and cultural backgrounds at the center of the instructional process.

In her free time, Asfia enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and three children.

Caitlyn offers middle school math courses and high school business electives. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Business. Caitlyn has worked in education for over 5 years at both a collegiate and K-12 setting. For the past two years, she has been a 4th-8th grade special education teacher. Caitlyn currently specializes in teaching middle grades mathematics and business education. She has taught and tutored students of all ages and abilities and is excited to be at Fusion Global Academy.

In her spare time, Caitlyn enjoys restoring antique furniture and spending time at the beach. She also enjoys going to thrift stores and playing with her 6-year-old dog named Buddy.

Ricardo provides social and academic mentorship to students from a variety of backgrounds. He earned his associate degree from Hartnell College, then transferred to California State University Monterey Bay where he earned his bachelor’s degree in social sciences. While earning his degrees, he maintained part-time work in various educational-focused jobs, ranging from peer tutor to substitute teacher. In these educational opportunities, Ricardo continued to learn and grow from all the different students he has encountered thus far. Not only has he helped mentor college-aged adults in community college, but has had his fair share of opportunities helping out students through all grades between Kindergarten and 12th grade.

During his free time, Ricardo enjoys casually playing video games, picking up a new book about history, or learning a new skill. Also, he loves spending time with his pet cat named Luna.

Rishi loves helping students connect with history and the social sciences. He majored in biology with a minor in sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. After graduating, Rishi caught the travel bug and taught English as a Second Language in Japan. Upon returning to the United States, he began a career in journalism and reported in various towns in Massachusetts. However, he missed working with students and returned to teaching ESL in the Greater Boston area. Rishi began teaching humanities courses at the Fusion campus in Newton, MA in 2018, and is super excited to join the Fusion Global family.

In his free time, Rishi can be found reading, exercising, connecting with nature, or visiting quaint New England towns with his girlfriend. He also joined a taiko drumming group during his time in Japan, and sometimes he likes to break out his “bachi” and practice his drumming skills.

Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and comparative world literature with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduating early, he continued his education at UIUC to earn his master’s degree in secondary education with a 4.0 GPA and certification to teach social studies and English. Daniel has experience teaching in three different high schools from his graduate education program, and most recently taught high school history classes virtually. During the past three years at university, he also worked as a volunteer mentor for students with learning differences and as a K-12 summer reading teacher and mentor.

Daniel loves playing board games and video games with his friends, family, and girlfriend. He also enjoys spending his free time reading everything from young adult romance novels to the latest scientific journal on ancient human migration patterns.

Peter works with students exploring literature and developing their writing skills. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from Amherst College. Peter received a master’s degree in education from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education with a focus in curriculum and instruction. He taught middle school for his first five years of teaching and spent fifteen years at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas. Peter serves as the chair of the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literature Magazines Committee at the National Council of Teachers of English as well as being one of the Poetry Editors of English Journal, NCTE’s scholarly publication for secondary education.

He is a voracious reader, an occasional dungeon master, and the experimental cook in his household which includes his wife and two children.

Nancy comes to FGA from Fusion San Mateo where she taught English, History, and a variety of social/emotional support classes. At Fusion San Mateo, she was the Learning Specialist and Special Ed lead. Nancy has a M.A. in Communications and undergraduate degrees in English and Speech. Nancy is a new resident of Seattle and is enjoying getting to know the Pacific Northwest.

Her leisure time includes gardening, reading, exploring natural areas and playing with her beloved cat Jamie. Some little-known facts about Nancy: she is a former private pilot and motorcyclist and she loves to fish.

Melissa Spretz attended TCU in Fort Worth, Texas before transferring to the University of Houston, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. In 2006, she obtained her initial teaching certification from the state of Texas in English Language Arts and Reading at the high school level, and in the intervening years, she has also become certified in middle school ELA, English as a Second Language, and Special Education. Since becoming an educator fifteen years ago, she has worked with secondary students of all levels, including Pre-AP, dyslexia, ESL, credit recovery, inclusion, and resource. She treats every student as if he or she was her own.

When she is not teaching, Melissa enjoys reading, writing, watching documentaries, and spending time with her very, very large extended family, over thirty of whom have been, currently are, or will soon be, educators. Her goal is to inspire all her students to recognize their own self-worth and let nothing stand in the way of their dreams.