Staff

Ruth

MS. RUTH YONG, PHD

Executive Director
Education: Purdue University
Experience: 8 Years
About Me: Someone once described Ruth as an ‘Educator at Large’. She has worked in and around education for most of her career, including being a classroom teacher, a center/school administrator with a wide variety of responsibilities and a coach and trainer for aspiring teachers and entrepreneurs. Dr. Ruth came to education and child care services with over 10 years of industrial experience, which helped her approach educating children from a very different perspective. She thinks that emotional intelligence is just as important, if not more important, than intellectual intelligence in today’s world. Ruth was raised in Fremont, California, went to Mission San Jose High School, graduated with a Bachelors of Science from the University of California, Berkeley and Purdue University for her Masters and PhD. degree.

During her time in industry, she traveled extensively to different regional offices in the U.S. and overseas to conduct training certifications for upper management. She has also worked with research and development to develop a computer training module that, still this day, continues to train thousands of employees every month.

It was her family that brought her back to Fremont, California to start Fastrackids and Palm Academy in 2006. Besides dedicating most of her time to our preschool centers and children’s education, she also coaches aspiring entrepreneurs, teaches children’s Sunday school and sings in the choir.

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MS. SUCHITRA JAYAKUMAR

About Me: This is Suchitra Jayakumar, Head Instructor for PALS Enrichment Program and an After-school Lead. She grew up in India and she holds a Master Degree in Computer Applications (MCA) from Madurai Kamaraj University. This is her fifth year working with Palm Academy. She has a zeal for teaching and strives to spark the same excitement within her students. Her goal is to inspire the students to achieve their full potential.
When she is not teaching, she enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, and spending time with her family. Her husband is a Software Engineer and they are blessed with two kids. Her daughter is a rising Junior studying prelaw at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Her son is a Junior at Mission San Jose High School.

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MS. SOPHIE

About Me: This is Sophie, a Financial Administrator at Palm Academy. She grew up in Taiwan and she holds a Masters degree in Business Administration in the United States. This is her sixth year working with Palm Academy. Being working in the office environment, She has also gained strong interpersonal skill. She listens to parents with patience and solve problems together. In her spare time, she enjoys doing yoga and hiking. She loves to travel and she finds fulfillment and inspiring. Traveling inspires her to pursue her passion and provides her with a new perspective on life.

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MS. BOYA

About Me:This is Boya and she is working as the PALS MATH teacher. This will be the fourth year teaching at Palm Academy. She enjoys exploring with, learning about, and teaching students. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Statistics, and she is currently studying Math Education and Early Childhood Education. She is so excited to help students become better problem solvers and to expose them to many mathematical skills. She cannot wait to spend time with students and grow with them!

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MS. PRIYA

About Me: This is Priyashree. She guides children to express themselves with words. You have must have guessed, she teaches English, primarily helping kids with their reading, writing, and creative writing too. She has been teaching children for the past 13 years and has enjoyed it all through. She believes that every child has an inert potential, which can be brought out by providing the right environment. Writing is an expression of the soul, so she believed she would help children in this aspect.