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 is also continuing her international education at Hawaii Pacific University and expects to graduate in May 2010. She enjoys singing and dancing, and is excited to convey this to your children!

Tianye Chen (Chen Laoshi) is a native Mandarin speaker from Anhui province. She has her Masters in Bilingual Education and is currently earning a Masters in East Asian Language and literature at the University of Hawaii. She has taught Chinese in elementary schools in Ohio (she earned her first Masters at the University of Findlay, Ohio). Chen Laoshi uses various teaching techniques including short music videos to help teach children effectively.

Linda C. Kuo (Guo Laoshi) was born in Taiwan and has a dual MA of TESOL and Mandarin Language Instruction from NYU's Steinhardt School of Education. She was responsible for heading up The Mandarin Treehouse and Child's Play Family Mandarin Program in NYC. While there, she collaborated with Nickelodeon Jr. on a "Ni Hao, Kai Lan!" grassroots marketing event. Guo Laoshi is also a professional dancer and will be performing in an off-Broadway show this summer. She is a great addition to the Little Ambassadors' Chinese program.

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 a year ago (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!

Yuka Fukuda-Nissle (Yuka Sensei) recently graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese as a second language. She also received a Certificate of Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreting from the Center for Interpretation and Translation Studies at UH, which she puts to use on various translation projects. Lastly, Yuka Sensei also has an Associate in Arts degree from South Seattle Community College. She has taught Japanese at Hawaii Seminar Kokusai Gakuin, engaging children in activities such as cooking and yoga in addition to reading, writing, and comprehension. In addition to speaking native Japanese, Yuka Sensei also speaks impeccable English--if you happen to notice her accent, it's because she lived and worked in Australia for 2 years.

Maiko Leslie (Maiko Sensei) joins us as an assistant in our Japanese class for children. Maiko Sensei was born in Nagano, Japan, and served as translator and host to the Nigerian Olympic Team in the Nagano Olympics. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Daita Bunka University in Tokyo, Japan. She is extremely capable, having taught a similar program to Japanese toddlers in English while she lived in Japan! She received a Japanese Language Teaching Certificate from the largest language school in Japan (Sendagaya Japanese Institute.) She moved to Hawaii two years ago, and taught briefly at The Cole Academy here in Hawaii. She has a beautiful little girl and is very excited about joining the Little Ambassadors team.

Tasha Martin (Tasha Sensei) joins us a teacher in our Japanese extracurricular class program. She was born and raised in Osaka, Japan, and has lived in Hawaii for four years. She is currently a student at Hawaii Pacific University. She has experience teaching English to Japanese children at the American School in Japan, Osaka. Tasha Sensei loves working with young children and the children also love her!

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 continues to volunteer at her sons' schools. 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 five years ago with her husband (she studied English at UH), and now has two daughters ages 2 and 5. Tia brings her energy, warmth, and experience with young children into the classroom at Little Ambassadors!