Meet Our Staff

Mesquite’s Chinese Immersion Program features a team of professionals, brought together in collaboration with Vail. Each one of them is a dedicated and effective educator.

Kindergarten Team
Mengyi Li

1st Grade
Yuan Zhu

2nd Grade
Jerry Wang

3rd Grade
Lufei Lin

4th Grade
Kelly Lee

5th Grade
Junli Ma

Mengyi Li

Kindergarten Chinese Teacher

Ms. Li was born and raised in Southern China. She earned her bachelor's degree in Public Administration from Changsha University. Following her graduation, she dedicated six years to working as an English teacher at an international school in Beijing and was awarded as an excellent teacher by the school district. Driven by her passion for education, she decided to pursue further studies in the United States. Ms. Li obtained her master's degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, specializing in Education, and also acquired her Elementary School Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. Joining the Mesquite family as a kindergarten Chinese teacher, Ms. Li embarks on a wonderful journey. Her goal is to help her students develop good learning habits and cultivate a sense of joy and wonder through the magic of learning.

Yuan Zhu

1st Grade Chinese Immersion Teacher

My name is Yuan Zhu. I was born and raised in mainland China. I am the only daughter of my parents. I love my parents very much. They taught me through their examples and help me have a positive and persevering attitude toward any hardship in life. I graduated from Zhejiang University with a double Bachelor's Degree majoring both in Linguistics and Business Management (E-Commerce). I earned my Master's Degree in Education from Zhejiang Normal University. After my graduation, I became an English teacher at a medical college for 15 years before I got the chance to work in the US. I worked at Mesquite Elementary for 2 years on an exchange teacher program, teaching Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade. Then I went back to China for 2 years teaching English to students aged 4 to 12 in a training school. Now I am back as I really miss my Mesquite family here. I love working with children to help them discover the joy of learning and to help them develop their own ability to achieve. I am excited to get to know all of you!

Jerry Wang

2nd Grade Chinese Immersion Teacher

“你好！(Nǐ Hǎo!) Hello! Welcome to meet Mr. Tianzi (Jerry) Wang! Originally from China, Mr. Wang obtained his bachelor's degree in English and Foreign Language Education from Anhui University. With a teaching experience spanning five years in countries including China, Cambodia, Kenya, and the US, he has taught both Mandarin Chinese and English. Mr. Wang's dedication to education led him to pursue a Master's Degree in World Language Education and Teaching from the University of Rochester, New York. He is a certified language teacher in both Arizona and New York State and has been teaching Mandarin Chinese and ESL/ENL (English as a Second Language / English as a New Language) courses in public schools throughout K-12 in New York State. During his time in New York, Mr. Wang was honored with the Eleanore F. Larson Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Rochester, recognizing his outstanding commitment to teaching and specialization in children's education. This year marks Mr. Wang's first year in the Mesquite family, and he is thrilled to join this great community to share his passion with his students and embark on a remarkable journey with everyone here.”

Lufei Lin

3rd Grade Chinese Immersion Teacher

Mr. Lin was born and raised in southeast China. He has a Bachelor degree in Chinese Language Art and a Masters degree in Modern Chinese Literature from Fujian Normal University. He earned his second Master of Arts in Teaching and California Multiple Subject credential from Chapman University. Mr. Lin has teaching experiences in second grade and fourth grade Mandarin Immersion Program classes. He is also an emerging scholar in elementary mathematics education. Driven by his commitment to building a student-centered educational environment for students, Mr. Lin focuses on studying cultural and linguistic awareness within mathematics education under bilingual settings. He has presented at the Orange County Mathematics Council Symposium on culturally responsive and inclusive mathematics pedagogies. He is also a member of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Kelly Lee

4th Grade Chinese Immersion Teacher

Kelly Lee was born and raised in Taiwan, as well as completed some of her secondary education in California. She graduated from National Taipei University of Business. After she completed her education, she started teaching and spent approximately 10 years in education. She first taught English in Taipei before moving to Zhengzhou, China, to supervise and lead the English department at an international elementary school. She then moved back to Taiwan and obtained her certifications (TCSOL and Pearson EDI) in teaching Chinese as a foreign language while managing administrative duties for the international school. She is enthusiastic about being back in teaching and cannot wait to learn and thrive with her students.

Junli Ma

5th Grade Chinese Immersion Teacher

Junli Ma was born and raised in mainland China. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Beijing International Studies University. In 2018, she moved to Los Angeles to study in a two-year program at Loyola Marymount University where she earned a Master of Arts in Bilingual Education. Ms. Ma upholds high expectations for herself and her students. She believes students have multiple intelligences which means children have the opportunity to showcase strengths in different areas. Every child has a chance to earn shining stars!