Vanessa Sifuentes

• Founding Principal

Ms. Sifuentes began her career in education by teaching and advising middle and high school students in the Sobrante Park neighborhood of East Oakland . She taught sixth and seventh grade Humanities and served as the middle school Humanities lead at Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy (Wilson Prep). As a lead teacher, Ms. Sifuentes led the entire school in proficiency-level growth in English Language Arts and focused on curriculum development to better serve English learners.

Ms. Sifuentes also served as Acting Principal of Monarch Academy, an Aspire Public School in Oakland , during the fall semester of 2007. Most recently, Ms. Sifuentes worked as an intern principal at Wilson Prep. While there, she supported students and the school as they transitioned into an Early College High School . Ms. Sifuentes also provided instructional support to math, science, English, social science, visual arts, and foreign language educators in grades six through twelve.

Ms. Sifuentes is a graduate of River Glen's Dual Immersion Program and Willow Glen High School , both part of the San Jose Unified School District . She received her BA in Political Science and Chicana/o Studies from UCLA, her MA in Education from UC Berkeley, and is pursuing an additional degree in educational administration from San Jose State University.