Juanita Grillo

Juanita teaches Lower School Spanish to our third, fourth, and fifth graders, combining the linguistic components of the language with the culture that the Spanish language is a part of.

Before coming to Park, Juanita taught Spanish literacy to Spanish speaking students in the third grade in Cali, Colombia. Previously, she has taught Pre-Kindergarten, second, and third grade. She has also worked with Colombia’s Ministry of Education, running writing workshops for teachers and students in rural schools all over the country. 

Juanita has a B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and three master’s degrees from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, in Children’s Literature, School Libraries and Reading Promotion, and Research in Language and Literature Didactics. 

Juanita was born in Bogotá and raised in Cali, a smaller, but still big city, in Colombia. Growing up, she attended an American School where she learned English and always felt very familiar with American culture. She has just recently moved to the United States and is now creating a life for her, her partner, and two daughters in this new country. 

Juanita loves to travel, to illustrate, and to be surrounded by nature.