Karla worked in accounts and customer service for Waste Management for many years before leaving to devote more time to her growing family. She is a wife and mother of 4 children; 2 boys and 2 girls. Her oldest boy attends Cal East Bay, and her two girls both received athletic scholarships in track and field. Her oldest attends Sacramento State and competes on the college’s track team, and her third child, who graduated from Ile Omode in 2014, signed to attend Texas A&M.
Not surprisingly, Karla has served as a volunteer coach for C.A. Track Club, a non-profit, youth track and field team for nearly a decade. She has coached a number of Ile Omode students over the years. She is also an assistant coach of track and field and cross country at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. She has helped the school win several league and regional titles in recent years, and provides counsel to many student-athletes as she works to ensure they maintain a focus on their studies. In this capacity she has been instrumental in preparing students to compete in college.
When her two youngest children began attending Ile Omode in 2009 it wasn’t long before her earlier coursework in childhood development from University of Phoenix and her love for children prompted her to volunteer at the school. She assisted in the kitchen, served breakfast, and assisted with several grades including the preschool and pre-kindergarten classes.
Her joy in teaching eventually led to her accepting a position to join the Mama Jasiri Preschool staff, and her love for the young students is evident in her daily interactions. Karla finds children to be amazing, and she enjoys “seeing their development over the years from preschool through 8th grade,” while wanting our young people to achieve their best. Watching children learn is rewarding and she loves their “energy, their inquisitiveness, and their enthusiasm for learning.”