Rowena Castillo Lesher is excited to return to KPEA as a Kindergarten Lead Teacher and Grade Level Chair. Originally from San Diego, California, Lesher has a tremendous amount of education experience. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with an Education Minor from the University of California, Berkeley and her Masters Degree in Bilingual Bicultural Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay from 2004-2006. For two years, Lesher taught at PS 89 in Jackson Heights, Queens as a 1st grade Dual Language Teacher (the Spanish component). She then has served as a founding teacher at two KIPP elementary schools, first at KIPP Academy Elementary in the Bronx and last year at KPEA. Whatever her role, Lesher finds that teaching brings out her patience, creativity, and selflessness each day. From a rural village to a large vibrant city, Lesher believes that valuable investments and benefits are best derived from human capital and hard work.