DJ began teaching ELA at Fusion Academy in Denver, Colorado last year before moving to Knoxville, Tennessee with her fiancé in summer of 2022. She hopes to bring the same level of excitement to her online students that she was able to bring in person! DJ graduated from Metropolitan State University, majoring in English with a concentration on composition and minored in Linguistic/Cultural Anthropology, graduating at the top of her class with honors. It was through working with students consistently at MSU Denver’s Writing Center and working as a Teacher’s Assistant that she discovered her passion for education.

Outside of the classroom, DJ enjoys writing poetry, working out, and spending time with loved ones. A little-known fact about her is that she played competitive soccer all of her life, even playing with some current members on the US Women’s National Team!

Shaun began his professional certification as an Art Educator at Central Texas College in Killeen, Texas. Upon completing two Associate’s programs (Fine Arts & General Studies), he transferred to the University of Texas at Austin and went on to get his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Visual Arts Studies, as well as his Texas EC-12 Art Teaching certification. Shaun taught a variety of subjects in Texas Public schools: Art 1, Drawing 2, Ceramics 2-4, Sculpture 2-4, & AP3D Studio for seven years.

He and his family camps and travels, embracing a nomadic lifestyle. This life suits Shaun just fine, as he grew up in a frequently-moving, military family, and served as a United States Marine Corps Infantryman. Despite this background, he certainly knows how to relax by making art, playing video games, and following current competitive esport scenes.

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!

Nadelyn graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s in Chemistry from SUNY Oswego and in 2021 became the first in her family to earn a Masters in K – 12 Special Education from Grand Canyon University. Before joining FGA, Nadelyn worked as a Bilingual Special Education 6th grade Math teacher at School in the Square Charter School in the community she grew up of Washington Heights in New York for 3 years. Nadelyn also has experience creating and writing curriculum in English and Spanish for different grades in Math and Sciences, providing Professional Development on different EdTech tools.

When she is not reading a book or cooking, Nadelyn likes to play video games and listen to music while coloring. A little fun fact about Nadelyn is that she was on track to attend medical school to be an anesthesiologist during her Bachelor’s program however fell in love with Education during her senior year of college and decided to become a teacher through a non-traditional path.

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.

Erin earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art with a concentration in ceramics along with a K-12 teacher license from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She previously worked as an art teacher for summer art camps.

Erin loves teaching students to make meaningful art! Students will learn artistic techniques, but more than that, they will engage with the world around them through the exploration of media to expand their perspective and connections within themselves and the world. Depending on what students like and need, she can teach structured sessions or leave room for creative challenges. She loves working with all students! From elementary crafts to AP art and everything in between, she connects with students at their level. Erin sees every student as an artist, and it is her goal to support them on their path of creativity!

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.