Our Tutors
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Megan Bloom
Megan graduated with Bachelor's degrees in both Communication and Psychology from The University of Colorado. One of Megan’s greatest privileges and blessings was to homeschool her own children and help other homeschool families. The Bloom family has grown by leaps and bounds in the past ten years!
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Heather Brown
Heather Brown graduated from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Human Resources. In 2009 after prompting from her husband and a big nudge from the Lord, she started homeschooling her 3 kids and loved it.
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Heath Bottomly
Heath is part of the Executive Team at Pure Heart Church (a multi-campus church in the Phoenix area) and serves as the Lead Pastor of Creative Teams (Music, Tech, Media, Communications), working with an incredibly thriving group of talented creatives. He has served in ministry for over 20 years as a Co-Lead Pastor, Creative Strategist, and Worship/Creative Arts Pastor.
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Amanda Ceren
Amanda Ceren earned a Bachelor's degree in Communication Arts and a minor in Bible from Cedarville University. As a college freshman, God transformed Amanda from someone who deeply feared public speaking into a communications major and member of the speech team her junior year.
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Jamin Dunn
Jamin Dunn has been working in music for the last 20 years. He spent 10 years writing, recording, and working the the music publishing industry in Nashville Tennessee, and has served as a worship pastor since 2011. He currently serves as the Ministries Director and Worship leader at Christ’s Community Church. He and his wife Christie have been married for 21 years. They live in Surprise together with their 5 daughters.
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Haylie Evans
Haylie is a longtime resident of Arizona and a former homeschool student herself! She enjoys camping and spending time in nature or playing pickleball with her family! Haylie graduated from Grace College with a bachelor's degree in French and a minor in Business Administration.
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Stacie Fischer
Stacie Fischer, a Phoenix native, graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Language Arts. She began her teaching career in the public education system in 2002 and still currently holds a K-8 teaching certificate in the state of Arizona.
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Erica Hang
Erica Hang has been a homeschooling mom for 15 years. She directed a homeschool program in Chicago for 7 years while running a photography business on the side. She has taught various music classes as well as private music lessons. Since moving to Arizona, she discovered a passion for baking and now has a side bakery business.
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Micah Hudak
Micah Hudak earned a degree in Political Science from Arizona Christian University where she developed an even deeper love of history and government. As a homeschool graduate herself, she is passionate about homeschooling and the unique educational environment it provides.
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Melanie Ketterling
Melanie Ketterling earned her BA in Elementary Education from Ottawa University. Melanie is AZ certified, with a full SEI endorsement, and is highly qualified in Language Arts. She has had 20+ years working with children birth-8th grade in preschool and classroom settings. She spent 9 of those years in the classroom, at a local private Christian school, as either a full-time/lead teacher or a substitute teacher.
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Melanie Kilcup
Melanie Kilcup earned a Bachelors of Science in Elementary and Special Education through Northern Arizona University and a Masters in Special Education from Grand Canyon University. Melanie was homeschooled herself and loves the homeschool community.
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Reece Jacob
Reece Jacob graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Christian Studies from Grand Canyon University. He has spent the last several years working as an Instructional Assistant at GCU's College of Theology and was previously an English teacher at Liberty High School. He wants to switch his educational career from public to homeschooling as this aligns with his desire to both teach and be open about his faith.
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Patty Larson
Mrs. Patty Larson originally hails from Chicago where she received a full-ride scholarship to the Art Institute. While there, she founded the Plainfield Art League of Illinois. She and her family moved to Arizona in 2007. Shortly after moving to Arizona, the Larson family began attending a large church in Surprise.
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Steve Macek
Steve has been involved in the homeschool community since he was a teenager. Having moved to the big city of Phoenix between 7th & 8th grade, he subsequently started homeschool and co-op programs. Originally receiving training in nutrition and alternative health, Steve ultimately saw God taking him in a very different direction.
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Anna McAffee
Anna is a homeschool graduate who is passionate about everything DANCE! She began ballet at three years old and her love for dance grew as she continued dancing until she graduated high school. Along with years of dance performances, she has also danced in church. With pastors for parents Anna has always been involved with ministry…
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Jeff McAffee
Jeff McAffee has been teaching Bible and theology for over twenty years. He is a college professor, author, and pastor. He has served overseas as a missionary and as the executive director of a training center for full-time ministers. Jeff has a doctorate of ministry degree and is credentialed at the highest level in his denomination.
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Kendra McAffee
Kendra has been an educator for 28 years. She began her teaching career in the public school system in 1996, and still currently holds a K-8 teaching certificate in the state of Arizona. She has homeschooled her children for the last 18 years, graduating two of them with one more to go.
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Mike Mitchell
Mike has been married to his wife Pam (who is also teaching at Ignite!) for 30 years and they have two children they homeschooled through high school. He has taught guitar to homeschooled students for 8 years. He also played guitar with various worship teams for 13 years, in addition to playing rhythm guitar for 3 years to assist the youth band.
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Pam Mitchell
Pam has two adult children that she homeschooled for 15 years. She was a member of a homeschool co-op where she was the special events coordinator for a year, co-director for two years and the teen girl leader for a year. She received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and...
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Tammy Mitchell
Tammy’s love of art began as a child - like most littles - and never got out of her system! As a young mother of 7, she taught painting classes to many children and adults for several years. She designed and wrote 8 “How To” decorative painting publications and began a decorative painting business which led to co-owning a custom and unfinished furniture shop with her husband.
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Tisha Pena
Tisha has been in the administrative field for more than 20 years, and she has worked as a paraprofessional for approximately 8 years in early childhood education classes. She has a passion for encouraging and assisting others to learn and grow in any capacity that allows them to flourish.
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Steve Pettis
Steve is originally from the L.A. area in Southern California but grew up moving frequently. His dad was in the army, then a pastor, and then his parents were missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene in Bermuda, Portugal, and the Azores.
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Brenda Prefling
Brenda has been married to her husband, Tom, for fifty wonderful years, and she is a mother to four and grandmother to ten rowdy grandchildren, ranging from five to twenty-two. She even raised one of Ignite’s Directors (Erin) and positively spoiled one of our tutors (Maddy) as she grew up! Brenda has been involved in homeschooling for many years.
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Erin Rathier
Erin Rathier graduated from ASU with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She had plans to become a High School English teacher when God called her into full-time Youth Ministry. Erin has spent the last 27 years working with 4th-12th graders, helping them learn who they are as Kingdom builders.
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Maddy Rathier
Maddy is a homeschool graduate turned Bible college student! She grew up learning and working alongside her mom (one of our directors, Erin) in all of her ministry endeavors in children’s, youth, and small group ministries. She spent her junior high and high school years serving in ministry in just about every way you can think of, and at fifteen years old God called her into ministry herself.
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Mike Rathier
Mike Rathier discovered drafting in high school. After learning hand drafting his freshman year, Mike was introduced to AutoCAD, computer drafting. Little did he know that drafting class would turn into his lifelong career. Mike has been using drafting for the last 23 years in Civil Engineering and the telecom fields.
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Tiffani Reid
Tiffani Reid grew up in Georgia and Florida and moved to Phoenix in 1993. Since graduating from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, she has been working as a teacher for over twenty years in some capacity, whether within the public, private, charter, or homeschool setting.
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Victoria Rivera
Victoria is wife to Phillip, mother of seven children, and grandmother to eight grandchildren ranging in ages 2-11. Above all else, Victoria deeply loves Jesus. Victoria has been involved in the homeschooling community since 2016, when God called her to begin the journey of homeschooling her 3 younger children.
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Tavia Runion
Tavia grew up in Arkansas and graduated from Harding University with a bachelor's degree in communication disorders. She met and married her husband Mike and moved to San Diego where they started a family. While in San Diego, she worked alongside her husband running a snack food manufacturing business for ten years. This is where Tavia's homeschooling journey began.
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Liane Shrable
Liane grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, where her family worked as missionaries for "Life for Latins" until the age of nine. Liana attended college in Spokane, WA where she received her Associates of Arts with an emphasis in Musical Performance, including studies in opera. Music has been the largest influence in Liane's life. She loves serving on the worship team at Calvary Chapel Arise in Wittman, Arizona.
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Amy Spry
Amy graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences. She met her husband of 28 years while studying at Michigan State. Post-graduation, she worked in healthcare, specifically phlebotomy, medical laboratory testing, and training at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.
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Tyler Stringer
Tyler Stringer graduated from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor's degree in finance and currently serves as a financial advisor at Equitable. Originally intending to pursue full-time vocational ministry using his training in finance and business, Tyler's path shifted during college when he felt called by God to work in financial advising.
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Benita Toma
Benita Toma, a native of Glendale, is both an accomplished educator and a dedicated community leader. Although she already has a BA in Biology and certificates in European and Russian Studies from Arizona State University, she is currently pursuing an AAS in Occupational Therapy Assistant Studies. Her teaching experience spans diverse realms...
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Debi Vandenboom
Mrs. Vandenboom has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education. She is a native of Phoenix and has been homeschooling her 4 daughters since 2001. In addition to homeschooling, she was a public elementary school teacher, a gifted education teacher, a community college teacher and has been a longtime math tutor.
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Katiebeth Van Gysel
Katiebeth Van Gysel was born and raised in Arizona and attended Grand Canyon University where she earned her degree in business and marketing. She is a homeschool graduate and has enjoyed subbing for a private Christian school in the valley. Katiebeth is excited to be a part of the homeschool environment as a tutor…
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Paige West
Paige West is a Chicago native who has found her home in the Arizona desert. While living in Prescott, Paige received her Associates Degree from Yavapai College, and is currently majoring in Biblical and Theological studies at Arizona Christian University. Paige is on fire for the Lord after having been radically born again through the grace of God.
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Nicole White
Nicole White graduated with a Bachelors of Social Work from Arizona State University. She also holds her Master of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University. Nicole currently works in a behavioral health setting part-time. Nicole began homeschooling her 3 children in 2020 as a result of education moving online, but quickly learned that it was a gift from God.
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Andrea Winn
Andrea Winn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Andrea planned to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, but shortly after graduating, God called Andrea into Children’s Ministry. She accepted a position at a church in Colorado building a fun ministry with an amazing team.