Meet Our Team

Lauren White

CENTER DIRECTOR

As Center Director, Lauren leads the Sylvan Learning Center in East Spring. Lauren is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education. She is passionate about educating our youth and wants to make a difference in their lives. The students love Lauren because of her fun and energetic personality. In her free time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her friends and family and doing yoga.

Christina Arnold

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Christina oversees the educational integrity of our programs. She manages and develops our team of tutors at the Sylvan Learning. She is an expert with academic development at Sylvan as she has been with us for over 15 years. Christina is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and holds a teaching certificate in Generalist EC-8. Christina enjoys helping all of her students. In her free time, Christina enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and spending time with family.

Alysha Herrera

Executive Director

As Executive Director, Alysha leads several of the Sylvan Learning Centers in the Houston area. Alysha is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in Child Learning and Development. She also holds a teaching certificate in Generalist EC-6. In her free time, Alysha enjoys reading, collecting postcards and playing board games. At Sylvan, Alysha loves helping students find their “wow” moments.

Ann Ruiz-Requena

SYLVAN CERTIFIED TUTOR

Ann is a graduate of Sam Houston State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. In her free time, Ann enjoys learning about the law (she hopes to be a lawyer someday), listening to music, reading biographies, and watching documentaries. At the Sylvan of East Spring, Ann, hopes to make a positive difference in how kids view education and learning.

Akayla Joseph

CERTIFIED TEACHER

Akayla attended Central Michigan University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She returned to school and received a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governor’s University. She is a Texas certified ESL teacher with a EC-6 generalist certification. Akayla is a very fun and passionate teacher. She chose teaching to become the teacher she felt she always needed, but never had. She really loves traveling, dancing, and doing DIY projects in her free time.

Karen Loll

Certified Teacher

Karen is a graduate of Sam Houston State University where she originally earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing. Through her love for reading and writing, she found that she was meant for teaching. She has a teaching certificate in Secondary Education, 6-12, with specialization in English. We are excited to have her on our team. She is a very enthusiastic, energetic, and creative teacher who loves watching movies and historical documentaries, traveling and visiting museums, and reading when she has free time.

Mary Autrey

Certified Teacher

Mary attended Texas State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and biology. Through experience and her strong love of math and science, she decided to get her teacher certification. She holds a Math 4-8 Texas Certificate. She is a patient and caring teacher who loves to build confidence in her students. When she has free time, Mary loves spending time with her husband and dog.

Corrine Ketch

Certified Teacher

Corrine recently earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Sam Houston State University. She began working in early childhood many years ago and discovered that she enjoyed teaching through her experiences teaching Pre-K. She has almost completed the final requirements for her TX Teacher Certification. She is very excited to continue to work with all levels of students in their education journey. Corinne is a very kind and patient teacher with a wonderful sense of humor. She enjoys hiking and road trips and enjoys many types of art.

Peggy Super

CERTIFIED TEACHER

Peggy is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in English. We are very excited for her to join our staff as an amazing teacher for our reading and writing students. Peggy loves teaching in order to help children with their love of reading and learning in general. In her free time, Peggy really enjoys taking care of her puppy, cooking, quilting, and reading. She also loves baseball and is a huge Astros fan.

Torinse Emunefe

Certified Teacher

Torinse attended the University of Cambridge, where she earned a Certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has always had a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of the adults of tomorrow. In her free time, Torinse enjoys spending time with family and friends, and learning about different cultures, foods, and languages.

Anna Carrion

CERTIFIED TEACHER

Anna holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling. Through her experiences, she found a love for working with kids and teaching math. She has Special Education and Math Texas teacher certifications. Anna is a very positive and dedicated teacher who enjoys yoga and running and being involved in her children’s activities.

Maria Krer Rincones

Certified Mathematics Teacher

Maria  graduated Magna Cum Laude  from University of Carabobo in Venezuela with a degree in Math Education. She enjoys teaching because she loves to help students achieve their academic goals. She is a passionate, organized, gentle teacher who enjoys playing the piano, singing and dancing.

Tanesia Wilkerson

CERTIFIED TEACHER

Tanesia is an excellent teacher here at Sylvan Learning of East Spring. She has a passion for Special Education students! While Tanesia loves teaching students of all ages, she specifically likes teaching reading, math, and writing. Tanesia is a graduate from the University of Houston with a teaching certification in Generalist EC-4 and Special Education EC-12. In her free time, Tanesia likes to spend time with friends and family and be involved in the church.

Debora Allen

Certified Teacher

Debora graduated from Texas Southern University with a degree in Communication Arts. She fell in love with teaching and enjoys having a positive impact on the education of young people. She is a positive, outgoing, creative, and motivated teacher who enjoys travelling and going on cruises. She also enjoys watching NFL and College Football, along with attending concerts and plays, in her free time.

Kesline Petitmat

Certified Teacher

Kesline attended Texas Southern University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She also has a master’s degree in education from Prairie View A&M. She holds Texas Teacher Certification, EC-6 and ESL certification. She is a persistent and punctual teacher who is passionate about serving others and working with children. In her free time, she enjoys reading , dinning out, and binge watching her favorite shows.

Shanna Rutherford

Certified Teacher

Shanna attended the University of Houston, Victoria, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. Additionally, she attended Lamar University, where she earned a Master’s degree in Counseling. She holds a Texas Teacher certification in EC-6 and a Texas School Counseling certificate in EC-12. As a creative, patient, and cheerful educator, she truly enjoys helping students and watching them learn new skills. She loves to travel and spend time with family when she has a chance.

Tammy Mack

Certified Teacher

Tammie attended the University of Southern Mississippi where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. She also has a Doctorate degree in Pharmacy. She has a love for science and a love for teaching. She decided to go into teaching to help students develop the same love for science and to help them pursue science related careers. Tammie is very patient with students and loves reading and spending time with family and friends.

Teri Hopkins

CERTIFIED TEACHER

Teri originally attended The University of Houston, where she earned a degree in disciplinary studies and gained a generalist teacher certification for EC-6. She also recently earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M International University and has a Reading Specialist Certificate. Teri has always known she’d be a teacher and was really driven to become a reading teacher to help her son learn to read. She is a flexible and patient teacher who has a love for reading in her free time and she also enjoys spending time with her grandkids.

Rekha Chabra

CERTIFIED TEACHER

Rekha received her master’s in education from New Delhi, India where she is from. She has been teaching for over 27 years around the world. She loves watching the kids come alive when they learn something new. She feels pure joy when a student lights up and that is her favorite part of teaching kids. In her free time, she loves to do art and is a successful painter.