Faculty
Administration
Laura Clemens
Director
Laura Clemens has been an Austin area preschool director since 2003 and Director of WUMP since 2016.
She grew up in Palo Alto, CA and graduated from Duke University with a degree in History and Spanish. She received her elementary teaching certificate from San Jose State University, with an emphasis on Early Childhood and Bilingual Education, and has taught at the early elementary level in California schools and for Round Rock ISD.
Laura and her husband, Noel, relocated to Austin in 1993 after he became a member of the Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Department...
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Gina Hernandez
Assistant Director
Gina Hernandez has taught at WUMP for more than ten years, most of them in the Older 3’s classroom. This is her fifth year working in the office as the assistant director. Gina was born in California, raised in Maryland and has lived in many places in between. Austin is where she has lived the longest and where she feels the most at home. Gina was a stay at home mom to her only child, a daughter, until her daughter began kindergarten and then found herself searching for a meaningful way to fill her time but not lose the ability to care for her child. At WUMP she found a wonderful place to...
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Christie Kull
Curriculum Coordinator, Lead Floater
Christie is originally from Houston and lived there until she graduated from high school. She moved to New Jersey to attend Monmouth University where she graduated with a B.A. in. Communications. After graduating, she became an American Airlines Flight Attendant for 13 years and was based in Chicago. She has also lived in Singapore, Australia, and has lived in Austin for the last 16 years.
When her now teenage son was attending WUMP, she knew she wanted a career here. She started out as a substitute, became a Pre-K co-teacher, then and a lead teacher in the Infants classroom. She has been the Curriculum Coordinator/Floater for the last nine years.
She says, “One of the many amazing things about my job at WUMP is getting to know all the children in all the classes and watching them learn and grow.”
Pre-k team
Sabrina Renteria
Lead Teacher
Hey there! My name is Ms. Sabrina and I will be teaching Pre-K this upcoming school year at WUMP! I have worked with infants through elementary school kids for almost 9 years. I have my Child Development Associate certification and plan on finishing my B.A. in Christian Education. I am originally from Dallas, but moved here last fall to adventure around the capital of Texas! Working with children is truly a gift, I am an inner child myself which means I am also learning something new from them everyday! At home, I have a dog and a cat, and during my free time I like to read, go cafe hopping, go to Bible study groups and be in nature!”
Tina Allen
Pre-k Co-Teacher
I have been teaching young children for over 28 years and have been a teacher at WUMP for 5 years. I started working with children in 1994 in the Houston area. I completed my Montessori Pre-Primary Teacher training in 1998 at Brookhaven College in Dallas. Since becoming a Montessori teacher, I have taught in both Montessori and Play-based programs. I enjoy working with children of all ages and have taught Toddlers, Two’s and Threes and have several years of experience in Pre-kindergarten.
I grew up in the Westlake area when my family moved here due to my father’s military assignment. My husband and I decided to return to the Austin area in 2001. We have two children and enjoy hiking, camping and fishing.
Eileen Welser
Co-teacher
Eileen grew up the youngest child in a family of 6 kids in a small coal town in eastern Pennsylvania. Since the early age of 12 she has been taking care of children; first as a babysitter and later during college summers, as a day care provider. It was natural that she found herself studying in the field of speech pathology and audiology. She graduated with her BS degree in 1997 from East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvania. During the summer before graduate school, Eileen traveled to the homes of preschoolers delivering speech and language therapy through a special education unit in her hometown of Pottsville.
Wanting to learn and live in an environment with more linguistic and cultural diversity, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her Masters Degree in Communication Disorders. She graduated in 2001 with an MA in Communication Disorders as well as a teaching certificate from California State University, Los Angeles. During her time in graduate school, she worked as a speech therapist in the nation’s second largest school district (LAUSD). Throughout her career, Eileen has been licensed and worked in Pennsylvania, California, New Hampshire, and now Texas evaluating and treating children primarily from ages 18 months to 12 years in various settings; private and public. In 2021, while working for a private agency, Eileen joined the WUMP team so that she could assist with child developmental in a broader sense. She is delighted with her decision to the preschool environment!
When Eileen is not working, she stays busy with her family; husband, three children (ages 13, 15, and 17), and two Portuguese water dogs. From her over 20 years of experience, what keeps her fresh is knowledge that every child is an individual with unique wants, needs, feelings, and thoughts. She views every day as an exciting learning experience for both the teacher and student!
Three's team
Doris Frederick
Lead Teacher
This is Doris' first year teaching at WUMP but it is definitely not her first year teaching! In Doris' words, "I'm very grateful to be working at WUMP. I am a mother to a lovely, amazing daughter who just began attending St. Edward's University this semester. I love spending time with my family. I have been working with children for twenty years, it is my passion. I attended Austin Community College and regularly seek out training that will help me to become a better teacher. Working with children gives me an opportunity to watch them develop skills, knowledge and the ability to explore the world. I learn from them and they learn from me."
Helen Sun
Co-teacher
This is my 9th year at WUMP. I am so blessed working here with lovely children and really enjoy it. I became a teacher after I received my bachelor's degree in education in 1992 and have been working in several schools in different locations due to my husband's work location change.
I have two amazing kids who are now college students. I like outdoor sports; I enjoy running, hiking, camping, and traveling with my family.
I love Austin, love WUMP, and love children.
Two's team
Stephanie Marmolejo
Lead
Hi, my name is Stephanie. I am from San Marcos, Tx. I am the oldest of four siblings so I have been babysitting since I was 14 years old. Before coming to Wump, I worked as a full-time babysitter for over a year. I graduated from Texas State University with my bachelors degree in Psychology and a minor in Family and Child Development.
I have been at Wump for three years and I love it! Kids are so energetic, unpredictable, and hilarious. It is amazing being able to watch our two-year olds achieve new milestones and become excited to come to school!
Luisa Salazar
Two's Co-Teacher
Luisa has been a preschool teacher for seven years, five of which have been here at WUMP. This is her second year with the Two’s! Years prior, she has been with Pre-K.
Luisa lives in Austin, where she graduated from Austin High. After deciding to continue her education, she found herself attending Texas State where she’s working on obtaining her undergrad in Health Science with a minor in Human Development in Family Sciences.
She lives with her boyfriend of eight years, though no children yet, she has two dogs and one cat who are her whole heart.
Infant and Toddler team
Diane Kofahl
Diane fell in love with Austin while attending The University of Texas where she completed a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. After graduating she moved to Los Angeles for her Masters in Theology where she met her husband Jonathan. They moved to Austin together in 2012 and have enjoyed making Westlake their home. They have two kids who have both enjoyed going through the WUMP program, with their second in the current Pre-K class at WUMP.
Diane worked with middle and high schoolers as the Youth Director at Westlake United Methodist Church here on campus for 10 years. She found joy observing and interacting with any preschool activities on campus. For the 2021 and 2022 school years Diane decided to go back to her love of teaching littles and became a regular substitute at WUMP. She has truly enjoyed interacting with all the kiddos and has been in awe of the teachers at every age level at WUMP. With her 7 years of experience as a parent at WUMP, and her growing passion for teaching and guiding the kids through their growth and development, Diane is excited to join the Toddler team.
She says, "I so enjoy seeing not only the huge developmental change of these sweet toddlers from the beginning of the year to the end but also their understanding, exploration, and joy they find in the world as their personality and passions come through. Thank you, parents, for sharing them with us. It is a privilege."
Daniela Rangel
Lead Teacher
Hello! My name is Daniela I’m so excited for this new journey at WUMP! I have been in the early childhood education for about 6 years now, and I can’t wait to see what this year brings me here at WUMP. I have worked with infants and toddlers and they are lots of fun. What I mostly like about being a teacher is seeing every child hit their milestones and seeing them be happy! It’s very rewarding! On my free time I like to go to the gym, read, hangout with friends and family. I’m so excited to be part of WUMP!