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The Team

Who We Are

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The BBA Way

Rachel Ragsdale-Vazquez

Founder & Director

Rachel holds a CA teaching credential in grades PreK-12 and has teaching experience in grades PreK-5. She has four years of experience teaching in a daycare setting and taught phonics to children ages 2-6 in the Learning Adventures program. Rachel ran a large family home daycare for three years and strongly promotes a growth mindset. Further, she believes that intelligence can consistently grow, as long as one values education and has the passion to persistently keep learning. There is always more knowledge to attain, which is why Rachel holds a Certificate in Child Development, a Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies K-12, and a Master's Degree of Education in Learning in Technology. She persistently seeks out professional development in the realm of education and child development for herself and her staff. This is why The BBA Way! is incorporated at Bright Bubbles in Orange! The academy uniquely incorporates the trio of philosophies Montessori, Reggio, and Waldorf standing apart from other centers that may only offer one philosophy of learning. Children have multiple intelligences and prefer different modes of learning instead of a one-size-fits-all all approach. BBA's goal is to provide a targeted and meaningful education to all children based on their individuality, as children are the co-constructors of their own learning. Ultimately, Bright Bubbles Academy is just one big family!

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The BBA Way

Luis Vazquez 

CFO & Administrator

Luis Vazquez Co-founded Bright Bubbles Academy along with Rachel in 2021. The vision that both shared was to create The BBA Way! to provide a quality well rounded program that brings a family environment to early childhood education. Luis has a professional aviation background serving as a line Captain, Instructor, Examiner, and Chief Pilot. Currently, he is a Captain of a Boeing 737 for a Major US Airline. In addition, Luis holds a Bachelor in Aviation Science from Utah Valley University and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Western Governors University. Luis has taken the role of the financial/staff/parent relations administrator or what he calls "the not-so-much-fun job compared to teaching the children". Luis is also known as Mr. Luis by the children when he visits the classrooms.  

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The BBA Way

Alejandra Mendoza

Lead Supervisor Teacher 

Hi everyone! My name is Ms. Alejandra, and I am excited to have been working as a lead teacher at Bright Bubbles Academy for the past 2 years. I've worked with children for almost ten years. While I earned my ECE units and my Bachelor's from Cal State Fullerton. I worked in Kid's clubs, then as a nanny and a teacher.


As a child, I had many educators who inspired me to do well and succeed in my education. I
value the importance of early education because between the first five years, children develop many skills that will stay with them throughout their lives. I hope to keep impacting children's education here at Bright Bubbles Academy.


Besides my passion for teaching, I also have a passion for art and design. When I'm not working
or taking care of my family, I love to work on building more art pieces for my portfolio and
learning more artistic techniques.

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The BBA Way

Nicole Iwashita

Lead Teacher

Hello! My name is Nicole and I am so grateful that I get to be a part of the Bright Bubbles Academy family for almost 2 years now! I graduated in 2018 with my Bachelor’s degree in Child and Adolescent Development. During that time, I interned at a few Occupational/Physical/Speech Therapy clinics around Orange County. After I graduated, I worked in the Infant/Toddler Room at a Montessori school for 2 years.

 

Working with children is something I have been passionate about ever since I was little, and it is so awesome to see them grow and learn! From the moment of birth, children learn so many skills, and those are things they carry with them for the rest of their lives! I strive to be a compassionate, patient, and encouraging educator to your children during their time here at Bright Bubbles Academy. 

 

Some fun facts about me: I love photography, hand-lettering, and hula dancing, as well as taking care of the many houseplants I have!

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