Who We Are

Andrea Smith is a Kansas native who has fallen in love with California. She is passionate about art, culture, and visual communication, and the ways they divinely work together to promote community and understanding.

After attending a small Christian high school, Andrea went on to study Art Education and Spanish at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduation, she spent a year in El Salvador teaching English and learning Spanish, and then spent two years in the Kansas City public school system teaching English Language Learners.

Upon relocating to California, she taught Digital Arts, Spanish and Drawing & Painting for six years at Ontario Christian High School. During that time she earned an M.S. in Secondary Education from Cal State Fullerton, researching project-based curriculum development and grading rubrics. Her experiences leading students on missions trips, assistant coaching cross country and track, and advising the yearbook staff were where she realized the importance of building mentoring relationships with students both in and out of the classroom.

Ms. Smith believes that God has gifted all students with the capacity to be inspired and to create, and desires to encourage and guide each of them in their process of creating well.

Besides teaching, Ms. Smith is an avid runner, backpacker, and general lover of nature. She also enjoys reading, painting, traveling, and trivia nights with friends.

Credentials

B.A. Art Education and Spanish — Oral Roberts University

M.S. Secondary Education — Cal State Fullerton