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!

Jing Wu (Wu Laoshi) also goes by the English name Jean. She is originally from Shanghai. She received a Masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from California State University East Bay in 2009, and has also finished a certificate program in Teaching Chinese as a Heritage or Other Language. She was a summer camp Mandarin Instructor at CCEA New Sprouts Chinese School in Oakland, CA and has taught Chinese at Jinghua / Infinity Chinese School in Fremont, CA before recently moving to Hawaii. Welcome, Wu Laoshi!

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) 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. We are so happy to have Kazumi Sensei back with us after the birth of her son!

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!

Claudia Granata (Tia Granata) joins us as a teacher in our Spanish program. Tia Claudia hails from El Salvador. She has been in Hawaii for 5 years, raising her daughter and tutoring students at La Pietra School for Girls. Tia Claudia enjoys working with kids and looks forward to teaching with Little Ambassadors!