Contacts & Directions

Jacqueline Pelaez is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, and has been teaching Spanish in the United States since 2001. After completing her Licenciatura (5 years) in Economics from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, she came to the US in 1997 to study classical singing. After earning her Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the Longy School of Music (2000), she had the opportunity to teach her native language at Harvard University for four years. While teaching at Harvard, she was honored with the Derek Bok Center Certificate of Distinction in Teaching on four occasions. This experience was so enriching and meaningful that she became an educator. 
 
In 2005, she moved to Santa Barbara with her husband, who had joined UCSB as faculty, and their newborn child, Santiago. Since then, Jacqueline has taught at UCSB, Westmont College, Cal Lutheran University, SBCC School of Extended Learning, and Anacapa School. She is also an accomplished musician and has taught music, singing, and ukulele at SBCC and various local schools.
 
When she is not teaching, Jacqueline likes singing with the Santa Barbara Early Music Community Ensemble, playing the ukulele and African drums with her friends, traveling with family, doing Pilates, and enjoying her husband’s cooking. 
 
She is thrilled to teach at Laguna Blanca and be part of its community.

Katie Pointer joined Laguna’s science faculty in 2005 having completed her Masters of Education and Secondary Science Teaching Credential at UCSB. A Summa Cum Laude graduate from Westmont in chemistry, Katie received numerous honors during her distinguished undergraduate career, including the College’s Outstanding Graduate in Chemistry recognition and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society induction. Katie also received a five-year Knowles Science Teaching Fellowship, which afforded her the opportunity to work with other physics and chemistry teachers around the country to develop their teaching. In 2022, Laguna recognized Katie with the Faculty Excellence Award. Though her primary passion and teaching at Laguna have been in chemistry, she also enjoys the opportunity to share her love of the ocean with students through our Marine Science elective. Outside of school, you are likely to find Katie walking or reading at the beach.