about us | teacher bios
founder
Kimberly Funasaki earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in both Mandarin Chinese and Japanese at Georgetown University. She studied and worked in both China and Japan before earning her MBA at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, completing coursework in Chinese. She used both languages when working for various international companies over a decade. Kimberly is the mother of three little ones, and has been exposing them to the sounds of foreign languages from the time they were infants. She combines her passion for languages with her love of children in opening the Little Ambassadors school.
chinese teachers
Lynnette Lee Ling Shimabukuro (Pan Laoshi) originally hails from Singapore, where she gained fluency in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. She earned a B.S.B.A. in Travel Industry Management at Hawaii Pacific University, and recently completed a Chinese teacher training course at UH Manoa. She is a volunteer board member of parent-participative Early Education Co-operative, and has been involved with Kilauea Ohana Playschool for several years, acting as both Co-Director and Membership Secretary. A mother of three children, Lynnette also owns her own jewelry business called "Lynn's Treasures.
Ting Shao (Shao Laoshi) came to Hawaii from Shanghai, China in January of 2007. In Shanghai, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Education, and was a preschool / kindergarten teacher who taught English to 4- and 5-year-old children. Shao Laoshi recently graduated from Hawaii Pacific University. She enjoys singing and dancing, and is excited to convey this to your children!
Sophia Xiang Lin Hu (Hu Laoshi) comes from China, where she was a Teaching Assistant at a preschool for infants and toddlers from 4 months to 3 years old. She earned an Associates Degree in International Business Communication from Ningbo University in Ningbo City, China, and will soon be graduating from Heald College. Hu Laoshi came to Hawaii in 2006. She loves working with children, and is an energetic addition to the Little Ambassadors team!
japanese teachers
Jasmine Togashi (Jasmine Sensei) was educated in Japan before moving to the United States and earning a Bachelor of Music degree at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles. She previously worked as an instructor teaching Japanese to infants and toddlers in California. She specialized in utilizing art and music as developmental tools. She also contributed to a Japanese community paper for parents and children as a volunteer writer.
Kazumi Cabansag (Kazumi Sensei) joins us as a teacher in our extracurricular after school programs. She came to Hawaii in 2008 (after marrying a local boy!) from Tokyo, Japan, where she studied child development / psychology at Temple University. She also studied teaching young children in a second language at Western Town College in Victoria, BC, while serving as a classroom aide to a kindergarten class. Most recently, she served as an Assistant Teacher at Willowbrook International School in Tokyo, Japan. She is a great asset to the Little Ambassadors team!
Mami Ikeda ("Ami Sensei" instead of "Mami" since the kids get confused by a name that sounds like "Mommy"!) is from Hiroshima, Japan, and joins us as an Assistant Japanese Teacher. She is a recent graduate of Hawaii Pacific University with a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language. She already holds a Bachelor of Arts in the Department of Education including Teaching Japanese as a Second Language from Shikoku Christian University, Zentsuji Kagawa. She also has a Certificate in Teaching Japanese in Elementary School and Kindergarten. We are fortunate to have Ami Sensei with us!
spanish teachers
Fernanda Delatorre (Tia Fernanda) hails from the Andes in Ecuador. She followed her high school sweetheart to Irvine, California, and then to Japan, where she lived for almost seven years. Her two sons were born there. They are bilingual in Spanish and English. While stationed in Yokosuka, she volunteered at her son's elementary school. In December 2005, she relocated with her family to Hawaii, and is currently employed as a preschool teacher. She loves teaching Spanish!
Amelia Echeverria (Tia Amelia) is a native Spanish speaker from Peru. Aside from speaking Spanish, Tia also speaks German (she studied at the Goethe Institute in Bremen, Germany, having won a scholarship to study a specialization in Quality Management) and English. She moved to Hawaii in 2004 with her husband (she studied English at UH), and has two beautiful little girls. Tia brings her energy, warmth, and experience with young children into the classroom at Little Ambassadors!
