Srta. Mandy earned her teaching degree from Bethel University, where she double majored in Spanish and Elementary Education. She found out about immersion while visiting her sister-in-law (Laura Nelson)'s classroom. That was the first year that LILA opened, but even then Mandy knew it was the place for her! Before coming to LILA, she student taught at Academia Cesar Chavez School in St. Paul and Park Spanish Immersion in St. Louis Park, gaining a love for elementary education, and especially the Spanish language.