Zonia Duenas

Zonia Dueñas grew up in Pico Rivera. She attended Santa Isabel School in Boyle Heights from kindergarten all the way through eighth grade. She continued her Catholic education at Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School. She was in second grade when she knew she wanted to become a teacher. She loved being able to help others understand. All her teachers played a special role in her love for education but especially her second grade teacher, Mrs. Sera.

After high school, Zonia attended UCLA where she received her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology with a minor in education. While attending UCLA, she worked at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as an administrative secretary for the Cardinal McIntyre Fund. Zonia then returned to a Catholic education at LMU where she was a member of PLACE Corps. She received her Masters in Elementary Education from LMU. Thanks to PLACE Corps she was able to make her dream come true by becoming a teacher. She taught second grade at St. John Chrysostom in Inglewood. After a couple of years, she was called to continue her teaching journey at St. Anthony Elementary School. She has now been teaching there for six years.