Colleen Markowitz, M.Ed

Founder & Director
Credentialed Reading & Literacy Specialist
Credentialed Teacher

Colleen Markowitz has always had a love for teaching and a fondness for working with children. She is fully committed to providing exceptional service to her students, their families, and her team.

With almost twenty years of teaching experience, she has had the opportunity to work in various academic settings, with all grade levels, and is extremely familiar with the curriculum and instruction presented in both private and public schools of Orange County. In addition to her educational experience, Colleen has also had the pleasure of working with individuals with learning and developmental disabilities.

With her extensive experience in education and reading instruction (specifically, the Science of Reading), she strongly believes that every child has the capability to learn.

With a background strongly influenced by her dedication and love for education and young minds, CLASS Academics was born. Colleen was drawn to establishing CLASS Academics in 2012 to assist and motivate children of all ages to help them attain self-confidence and growth in academics.

Colleen is a fellow parent and keeps busy with three young children. She and her husband enjoy taking the family out on nature walks, playing pinball, and making ice cream. Colleen loves live music, writing, painting with watercolors, floral arranging, and has an extensive collection of children’s literature the she loves to share with her children and students.

Irving Bustos, B.A.

Assistant Director
In-Person Academic Instructor
Spanish Instructor

Irving Bustos is an academic professional who is highly experienced with supporting students from diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic backgrounds. It is his priority to not only deliver high quality instruction, but to empower his students to envision and meet their academic goals.

He has been trained under various pedagogies, while providing educational instruction and services to the following individuals: ELL, K-12, individuals living with learning disabilities, and college level community and CSU systems.

Irving is wonderfully talented with language. In fact, he double majored in Creative Writing and English Literature as CSULB. Additionally, he bilingual and biliterate in both English and Spanish. He is a wonderful asset to CLASS Academics and works as the Assistant Director at CLASS Academics, providing the necessary support to our students, their families, and our team.

During his free time, Irving enjoys playing basketball and writing poetry.

Laura Berman, M.Ed

Credentialed Teacher
In-Person Academic Instructor
Reading Certificate

Laura Berman is an experienced elementary teacher and very much enjoys getting to know and watching her students succeed. A talented and kind educator, Laura understands the importance of providing a tailored education. Laura has been with CLASS Academics for over five years and has been an integral part of our team.

During her free time, she loves reading, doing jigsaw puzzles, and taking care of her plants. She is very close with her family and looks forward to her daughter’s wedding this summer.

Caitlyn Tran, B.A.

In-Person Academic Instructor
Single subject credential - in progress
Enrollment Officer

From a young age, Ms. Caitlyn knew that she wanted to stay in the classroom beyond her own educational journey. She was always assigned to be the student in the class that helped out her own peers on various subjects throughout her educational career—from reminding her classmates of their letter sounds in kindergarten to demonstrating how to derive a geometric theorem during her freshmen year in high school.

After gaining two degrees in Education Sciences and History from UCI in three years, Ms. Caitlyn is now pursuing her Single Subject Teaching Credential at CSULB.

In her free time, she can always be found with a book in her hand and spending time with her partner and dog, Loki.

Candee Corwin, M.A.

Literacy Specialist
Academic Instructor

Ms. Candee loves getting to know her students and their families! She believes that a caring relationship is central to generating positive outcomes. Candee delights in seeing her students eager to learn and blooming with newfound confidence, and values what her students teach her. The uniqueness of each learner drives instruction and informs the pace, methods, and materials used to optimize the learning experience.

Candee holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and master’s degree in Child and Adolescent Literacy from Loyola Marymount University, supplemented by graduate studies in psychology and counseling. She has provided academic and emotional support as a teacher, tutor, counselor, and coordinator of a reading intervention program for elementary students.

Ms. Candee is a deeply soulful and contemplative person who is nourished in the beauty and solitude of nature. She thrives outdoors in fresh air and quiet places. She enjoys walking, hiking, camping, swimming, biking, bodysurfing, kayaking, and writing. Candee is excited to join the CLASS Academics family and journey with her students wherever they take her!

Heather Silva, B.A.

Curriculum Specialist
Online Academic InstructoR

Heather Silva has over 10 years of working with children in both a afterschool program and classroom setting. She led the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington Beach's afterschool kindergarten program for 4 years and was a teacher's assistant at a private school for 5 years.

CLASS Academics has been a constant in her life for over 6 years, where she has tutored preschool-aged children, college-level adults, and everything in between. Heather loves teaching because she loves to inspire students to achieve their best and offer them a safe place to make mistakes and grow from them. She has always loved working for CLASS because she appreciated the quality and attention to detail all tutors who are employed there give their students!

On a personal note, Heather is an avid cat and anime lover. In her free time, you can find her playing video games either on her PC or other consoles, watching anime, making custom cards, or playing the piano.

Arlene Valencia, M.Ed

Credentialed Special Education Teacher
Online Academic Instructor
ONLINE Charter School Enrollment Officer

Arlene Valencia has been in the field of education for nearly 10 years. She started off as an intervention specialist in the special education department, and then went back to school to pursue her M.S. in Education with a concentration in Special Education. Although she pursued a dual credential, her passion is working with students with mild/moderate disabilities.

Although she has been out of the classroom for two years now because she gave birth to her first child, she still wants to continue to make a difference in students lives.

Arlene is excited to work at CLASS for a second year now as she wants to continue to help students reach their highest academic potential.

Chris Roca, B.A.

Credentialed Math Teacher
Middle & High School Math Specialist
Online Math Instructor

Chris Roca has been a 6th - 12th grade teacher for over 6 years. He takes pride and joy in not only teaching, but also connecting with his students and mentoring them to be the best they can be.

He is excited to work at CLASS to help students achieve their goals and help each one feel accomplished.

When Chris is not working, he enjoys quality time with his wife and two sons who are 4 years old and 6 months old, and with his church family. Chris loves to exercise, play basketball, and play the guitar.

Eric Slivkoff, B.A.

Billing Officer
Accounts Receivables and Payables

Eric Slivkoff recently joined the staff at CLASS Academics as the billing manager because of his attention to detail and excellent communication skills.

Prior to CLASS, he has worked as a social media manager, field marketing representative, bookkeeper, and professional auto racing instructor.

Eric says he looks forward to working with the team and the students’ families, while contributing to something as crucial as education.

During his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, camping, and recreational sports.