Second Grade

Iya Ortiz | Second Grade Teacher

Iya Ortiz is a local to Humboldt County and recently graduated from the local Cal Poly with her degree in Elementary Education as well as a California elementary teaching credential. Iya grew up in Trinidad, spending a few months of each year in Costa Rica. This helped her to learn foundational Spanish as she was growing up. Iya also attended middle school in Costa Rica which fostered her development of the language and engaged her passion for bilingualism. Attending a local reparatory high school Iya had the opportunity to participate in various international service trips. Among those being Thailand and Cambodia, in this trip Iya was traveling to teach English at a school in Thailand, this is where she noticed an affinity she had for teaching, especially in regards to language education. Passionate about maintaining her Spanish and staying in practice, Iya took various Spanish language courses throughout her time at Cal Poly Humboldt. When she was applying to be a student teacher at local schools she emphasized wanting to be placed in a bilingual setting. This is where her relationship with Fuente Nueva began. Iya’s student teaching for the fourth grade classroom at Fuente in the 22-23 school year led to a seamless transition into the second grade teacher position!