Paola was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She moved to the United States when she was fifteen years old. She earned her degree in Psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University. After working in the health care industry for several years, she decided to pursue her lifelong passion for early childhood education. She joined the Spanish House team in 2016 and worked with all ages at the preschool level. She assumed the role of Preschool Academic Coordinator in June 2018 and worked to create a dynamic Project-Based learning curriculum while supporting preschool teachers. She began serving as the School Director at SWS – Haskell in November of 2021. Paola wholeheartedly believes in the mission of the school and says it’s a dream come true to work alongside a talented, diverse team of teachers to create a culturally-rich and dynamic early education environment in her home language.

Monica Toro is from Colombia and has lived in Texas for 8 years. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino in Bogotá, Colombia, and her master’s degree in Cultural Management from Universidad de Alcalá in Madrid, Spain. She is a certified Montessori educator through MACTE. She has more than 20 years of experience working in education, most of which have been in early education in the fields of pedagogy, family and community involvement and culture building. She is passionate about literature and children’s music and has worked on various projects in Latin America and the Carribean to develop movement and music programs for children. Monica was a nursery school teacher at Spanish House in the beginning years and returned in 2021 to assume a leadership position. As Academic Director, she creates a dynamic, robust curriculum that aligns with our Spanish immersion, Project-Based learning model. She trains, supports and guides the teachers at Skillman and Haskell in best teaching practices in order to fulfill the vision and mission of Spanish World School.

Karla Henriquez was born in Venezuela and has lived in Dallas since 2016. For 26 years, she worked in editorial design, focusing on books and magazines. She also taught Graphic Design to future museum curators, sharing her knowledge and experience with the next generation of design professionals. In 2018, she embarked on a new career path, dedicating herself to teaching her native language at Spanish World School. Her interest in the Project-Based Learning (PBL) method led her to further explore education and pedagogical innovation. In 2023, she assumed the role of Academic Coordinator, which allows her to oversee and support the academic development of the teaching teams at SWS – Skillman and Haskell.