Carina

Hi! I’m Carina, and I have over a decade of experience supporting students both one-on-one and in classroom settings. Most recently in the classroom, I served as an 8th-grade English/ Language Arts teacher at Culver City Middle School, where I worked within an inclusion model to support students with a range of learning profiles, including ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, auditory processing disorder, and executive functioning challenges. Many of my students had IEPs or 504 plans, and my work involved collaborating with special educators and support staff to deliver differentiated instruction that met their unique academic and emotional needs.

I hold a BFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory, an MA in Teaching from Pepperdine University, and I’m currently pursuing a second Master’s in Educational Therapy at CSUN.

My background in the arts profoundly shapes my educational philosophy—I believe in the power of creativity and self-expression as tools for engagement, confidence-building, and cognitive development. Whether I’m guiding a student through structured literacy intervention or helping them organize a multi-step writing assignment, I draw on a toolkit of research-based strategies and a deep commitment to individualized support. 

I work best with students who benefit from a warm, consistent, and strengths-based approach—students who may be twice exceptional (2e), struggling with attention or anxiety, or simply in need of tools to manage learning differences and school-related stress. My approach is structured yet flexible, and always grounded in empathy, relationship-building, and high expectations.

When I’m not working with students, you’ll find me belting Broadway tunes, exploring new coffee shops with my husband, son, and our spirited pup Yoshi, or spending a Sunday morning strolling through the local farmers market with friends and family.