Meet the faculty & staff at awakening seed school
Lead Teachers
Alex Zapien | Toddler 1s Lead Teacher, After School
Amalia (Mali) Lopez | Toddler 2s Lead Teacher
Anahí Herrera | Early 3s Lead Teacher
Lilian Treacy | Preschool 4s Lead Teacher, After School
About Lilian: Lilian was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Arizona when she was four. She began kindergarten at the Seed and stayed here until 3rd grade. She is still friends with many of her Seed friends and is very excited to be the lead teacher in Preschool 4s, after several years as the assistant in the class.
Education: Lilian graduated from Corona del Sol High School in 2016. In 2021 she completed her bachelors degree in Creative Writing at Arizona State University.
Free Time: Lilian loves to write, and can always be found reading a book. She also likes to hike, paint, and spend time with her dogs, Naya and Millie.
Erin Kelly | Preschool 3s Lead Teacher
About Erin: Erin is the mom of two grown children, Briana and Brendan. She has lived in south Scottsdale since she was nine years old. Her mom, sister, and brother all live within five minutes and her kids went to the same high school as she attended. Erin always knew she would work with kids, and once she observed a preschool class, she was certain that was the right path. She has always had a special love for teaching the 2s, but has taught every age of preschool at some point.
Education: Erin started taking early childhood courses at Scottsdale Community College right out of high school, took a break while her kids were young, and finished her associates degree once they were both in school. She has taken many extra training courses to continue her learning, as well as teaching some parent education classes. Erin is excited to continue her adventures here as the lead Preschool 3s teacher. With over thirty years in the field, she was drawn to Awakening Seed because the school shares so many values.
Free Time: Erin enjoys shopping, movies, sleeping in, family time, and definitely the company of her little dog, Polly.
Karysa Horst | PreK Lead Teacher
About Karysa: Karysa is an Arizona native. She has extensive experience working with children from diverse backgrounds and age groups. In her previous position, she was an art teacher responsible for instructing students ranging from kindergarten to 9th grade. In addition, She has experience working as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional. In 2019, she worked at the Seed in the Toddler 1s room until the pandemic hit, and was the PreK assistant during the 2023-2024 school year and the Kindergarten assistant in 2o24-2025. She is passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of the young minds she engages with and looks forward to helping students reach their full potential. This is her second year as lead teacher in our PreK class.
Education: Karysa graduated from Arizona State University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies. She currently holds an Arizona Teaching Certificate. Her ultimate career objective is to establish a nonprofit organization focused on assisting those in need, particularly in third-world countries and dogs.
Free time: Karysa loves spending time with her three dogs (Olivia, Nala, and Milo), or any furry friend for that matter, as she is a huge animal lover. She also enjoys embarking on adventures, playing board games, and spending quality time with friends/family.
Kerri Tornow | Kindergarten Lead Teacher
About Kerri: Kerri, who grew up in Michigan, is the Kindergarten teacher. She has been part of the Seed staff since 1984. That’s 42 years of teaching academics and art to young children. Kerri enjoys children’s art and literature. Her focus is on providing a safe, happy classroom environment in which young children can explore their world and influence their own learning with rich oral expression, creative opportunities, purposeful experiences and strong social connections to their peers and teachers.
Education: Kerri graduated from ASU with a degree in art education and has an Arizona elementary certification with an early childhood endorsement.
Kerri is married to Roger. They have two sons, Andrew (36) and Aaron (32). Andrew is a graphic designer, and is happily married to his lovely wife, Nicole. Aaron has a degree in kinesiology and now works in medical sales. Both boys started their educations as Seed preschoolers and graduated from ASU. Kerri enjoys crafting, collaging, camping, hiking and kayaking with her family. She also adores her beagle, Dunkin. Kerri and Roger cherish spending as much time as possible with their two grandsons, Carter and Cole. Kerri loves her role as Nana.
Gabryella Behnke | 1st-2nd Grade Lead Teacher
About Gabryella: Gabryella is an Arizona native who grew up camping in the pines or at the lake most weekends. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but felt that she finally found her true passion once she discovered the Seed. She feels fortunate to work at a school that provides such rich learning opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom. She finds joy in working with children, watching them learn and grow, and seeing the world through their eyes. She is inspired by their honest and open minds that are full of infinite creativity and possibility.
Education: Gabryella graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and an early childhood endorsement. She holds an Arizona teaching certificate and has an SEI endorsement. Last year, she completed a two-year professional learning course of study based on the science of reading. She joined the Seed staff in 2017 and has loved working with children of all ages, but feels she has found her true home with 1st & 2nd grade.
Free Time: Gabryella enjoys traveling, camping, being outside, reading, baking, and listening to live music. She and her husband, Justin, welcomed their son, Kolter, in December of 2024 and are excited to welcome another boy this year! As a family, they love taking their two dogs on outdoor adventures, going on road trips, and spending time with friends & family.
Emily Cleveland | 1st-2nd Grade Lead Teacher, After School Toddler Lead Teacher
Bianca Lopez | 3rd-4th Lead Teacher
About Bianca: She believes every child deserves to be treated with respect and valued as the unique, developing individual they are. She takes personal responsibility for creating a classroom where every student feels seen, supported, and valued. This is Bianca’s eighth year as a lead teacher at The Seed, beginning with the Early 3s and now teaching 3rd and 4th grade. Bianca first discovered The Seed as an intern from Northern Arizona University, where she observed in the Preschool 4s classroom. She knew right away that she had found her teaching home. Although Bianca originally dreamed of teaching kindergarten, her experience in 3rd and 4th grade quickly changed her mind. After discovering how much she loves this age group, she has found her forever grade.
Education: Bianca graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2018. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a certification for early childhood education. She recently completed a LETRS certification on the science of reading.
Free time: Bianca lives in Mesa with her husband, Shayne, their son, Zion, and daughter, Luna. On the weekends Bianca enjoys reading mysteries and spooky books. She finds joy in exploring new art supplies, baking, going to concerts, the moon, being creative, and finding beauty in nature’s little things.
Blanca Valle Rosas | 1st-4th Grade Co-Lead Teacher
About Blanca:
Blanca was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She has always had a passion for helping others. In high school she took early childhood development classes and knew that she wanted to work with children. Blanca interned for the Seed when she was working toward her graduate degree. She student taught at a public school and during the summer of 2025 worked at a STEM camp as a lead teacher for ages 4-7.
Education: Blanca graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Coordination in 2019. She worked in the healthcare field for about four years until deciding to make a career change. In 2025, Blanca graduated from Grand Canyon University with her master’s in Elementary Education.
Free Time: During her free time Blanca enjoys hanging out with family and friends, baking, listening to podcasts, watching movies, and going to the gym.