iLEAD Online Team Member Spotlight: Bridget Valles

Teaching is not just a job for me. It is a calling. I view my learners as leaders and want to equip them with the tools and skills they need to lead bravely, ethically, and creatively.

I earned my BA in English from Cal Poly Pomona and obtained two Master’s (one in teaching, one in curriculum design) from Seattle University. I have been teaching for the past 15 years and recently made the transition to teaching virtually full-time. While I have taught English in grades 9-12, I have also taught creative writing, hip-hop, and poetry.

With a history of case management and advising, I specialize in serving learners who have not had their needs met by the traditional public school model, whether they need intervention, enrichment, or just more of their interests and choice reflected in the curriculum. My interests include hip hop, poetry, film, and writing. I love storytelling and world-building and am passionate about unlocking the curiosity and bravery innate in every person that will help them tell impactful stories of their own.

I believe reading and honoring another’s story is one of the best ways to cultivate the empathy necessary to construct a more just and humane world. My life’s mission is to help build that world.