Growing up, Lidiana Portales never thought she would become a teacher but she is so grateful that she found her true calling. She loves being a teacher! Lidiana attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she studied to become a journalist. As a college student, she started to volunteer in classrooms around USC and later joined a group that mentored high school students. Lidiana realized that she loved working with young people and that she was passionate about helping students realize their dreams.

After college, Lidiana attended UC Santa Barbara to earn a teaching credential and a Master’s in Education. She has taught kindergarten/first grade, fourth/fifth grade and fourth grade in Santa Barbara. She was very excited to join the staff at César Chávez Charter School in 2007.

When she is not at school, Lidiana enjoys reading, running, swimming, gardening and traveling. In college, Lidiana studied in Bilbao, Spain and traveled around Europe. Recently, she traveled around the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, exploring Mayan ruins, tropical jungles and coral reefs. In the Yucatán, she was inspired to learn how to scuba dive. She is currently earning her scuba diving certification!