Staff
Don Anderson Jr.
Co-Founder,
Vice President & Program Director
Don is an artist.
Jim Tetreau
Founder,
President & Project Director
Jim is a writer.
Angel
Lead Instructor
Angel was born and raised in South Los Angeles. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in English from Mount St. Mary’s College. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts Degree and her CA Preliminary Single Subject Credential in Mathematics from Pepperdine University. Angel has over ten years working with children and youth and has a true passion for teaching and giving back to her community. In the future, she hopes to become a principal. Ms. Angel works with our 4th & 5th grade students.
Ana Brito
Co-Lead Instructor
Ana lives in the community near Strive. Ana has been working at Strive for 3 years. She is currently attending El Camino College and is majoring in Liberal Studies. She plans on transferring to Cal State Long Beach where she will pursue a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics and a CA Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential in Mathematics. Ms. Ana works with our 1st and 2nd grade students.
Susana Cuautle
Lead Instructor
Susana was born, raised & still lives in the community near Strive. Susana has been working at Strive for 3 years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English & Psychology from the University of California, Davis and recently completed her CA Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential from California State University, Long Beach. In the near future, Susana hopes to pursue a Master of Arts in Education or Social Work and continue working with children & youth in South Los Angeles. Ms. Susana works with our remedial 3rd grade students.
Jose Gatica
Student Instructor
Jose was raised in the community near Strive. Jose has been working at Strive for 2 years. He is currently attending East Los Angeles Community College and is majoring in Economics. He plans to transfer to Cal State Long Beach to pursue a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. Mr. Jose works with our 1st and 2nd grade students.
Tatiana Hernandez
Lead Instructor
Tatiana is also local and has at close to 10 younger siblings and extended family attending Strive. Tatiana has been consistently working at Strive for 4 years. Tatiana is currently attending ITT Tech. Institute in Culver City. Ms. Tatiana is earning a degree in Computer Networking. She is also taking Early Childhood Education courses to better equip her with the knowledge and skills needed to work with young students. Ms. Tatiana leads our Cottage classroom which houses our 1st & 2nd grade students.
Destiny Johnson
Lead Instructor
Destiny was raised in South Central Los Angeles in an area within close proximity to Strive L.A.’s campus. Destiny graduated from Locke High School and went on to study history at UCLA with a minor in African American studies. Originally studying to be a lawyer, teaching and helping the south Los Angeles community has now become her passion. Destiny is now a Master’s of Arts in Teaching graduate student at USC. She is preparing to earn credentials in history as well as special education. Destiny works with the 1st and 2nd grade students.
Jaime Lopez
Student Instructor
My name is Jaime Lopez, I came to the United States when I was six years old but I have lived most of my life in South Los Angeles. I am currently attending California State University Los Angeles, majoring in Computer Science. My goal is for one day to be able to conduct research on Autism via Artificial Intelligence. I not only love to read fiction novels but I am working on one of my own. I hope to one day be able to understand the thoughts of my brother who is autistic.
I am proud to be able to serve my community by helping the youth to strive higher than what is expected of them. In school many of the classrooms are overcrowded, making it hard for students to receive the attention that they deserve and obtain a good perspective of their education. Also, the lack of support to help them understand their academics leads to many of them give up and dropping out of school, further contributing to the negative image of South L.A. But it gives me great joy to help students excel in their academics and provide them with an environment that will help them stay out of the streets and instead become excellent contributors to society. I believe every student has an opportunity to become the leaders of tomorrow and I am here to assist them in any way possible.
“Don’t just dream of success, Strive for success”
Cynthia Martinez
Julio Padilla
Lead Instructor
Julio also lives in the community near Strive. Julio has been working consistently at Strive for 4 years. He is currently attending California State University, Los Angeles where he is completing his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Education. After graduation, Julio plans to pursue a CA Single Subject Credential in History. Mr. Julio currently works with our 4th & 5th grade students.
Adrian Santos
Lead Instructor
Adrian grew up in Northern California, and came to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. After earning his B.A. in Public Relations, he worked for several years in the industry before discovering his passion for helping students succeed. He now plans to pursue a CA Single Subject Credential in English, with a long-term goal of earning a PhD and becoming a college professor.
Brenda Soriano
Student Instructor
Brenda resides in the city of Gardena as she has for most of her life. She is currently attending El Camino College in the city of Torrance, studying as a Political Science and Linguistics major with Philosophy and Philanthropy minors. She has high hopes of transferring to the University of California, Berkeley. Brenda has just started working at Strive and is considering of perhaps someday becoming a teacher, she loves working with kids.
Jeanette Zuñiga
Lead Instructor
Jeanette was born and raised in Los Angeles. She has been working consistently at Strive for 2 years. Jeanette has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Language Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Science Degree in Education from Mount St. Mary’s College. She also has both a CA Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential as well as a Single Subject Credential in Foreign Language. Ms. Jeanette works with our 6th – 8th grade students to help prepare them for High School. She also helps with developmental duties throughout the day.
