Meet Our Team
Our team is student success driven and cares deeply about creating an authentic, nurturing, and fun learning experience for each student. All of the members are certified educators and experts in the content they teach. Each educator is passionate about learning and teaching through effective and engaging methods.
Everest Scholars Leadership
Dr. Teerath Kaur Grewal
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Teerath embodies the idea of being a life-long learner. She graduated from UC Irvine with a double major in International Studies and Education Sciences with specialization in child learning and development. After completing Masters of Arts in Education, she began pursuing PhD in Instructional Design and Educational Technology. Her dissertation focused on pedagogical digital competency and self-efficacy of educators as they integrated technology during distance learning. Teerath is passionate about integrating educational technology in classrooms in an effective and seamless manner that helps students take control of their learning. Focused on student-centered learning and dedicated to bridging learning gaps, she is thrilled with any opportunity to engage in learning environments.
Her 6+ years of being an educator in public schools and serving at the Educational Technology Leadership team within her district, Teerath values in promoting teacher efficacy through technology instruction. Not only designing engaging and rigorous lessons for her students, she also created and instructed courses for Google suite implementation in the classroom for educators in her district.
Additionally, her goals for students are to reach their academic learning success along with character development that encompasses respect, honesty, and responsibility.
Teerath continues to be part of the professional learning community to stay current with pedagogy that motivates students. She is a certified educator for International Society for Technology in Education(ISTE) and it has allowed her to develop a global vision with digital learning. ISTE standards for students and educators have influenced her vision for Everest Scholars. Currently, she is also on the board as one of the directors of The Reading League California. She is on the mission to be part of the national efforts to encourage the implementation of evidence based practices that align with science of reading.
To instill the love of learning for her students, she models it by being a learner herself. When she is not planning and designing courses and learning materials for Everest Scholars, she enjoys time with family, friends, and her German shepard puppy - Luger.
Sarah J. Barton
Vice President
Sarah has worked for eleven years in various educational roles, working with gifted students in California’s Silicon Valley as well as with lower-income and immigrant populations in a large Title I school in the heart of California’s Central Valley. She is particularly interested in the areas of Trauma Informed Practices, Classroom Management Development, and Creative Math Practices. Sarah is a New Teacher Mentor, working to guide new teachers as they transition to the classroom. She also works with student teachers, inviting them into her classroom and working to support and inspire them in their future careers. Currently, Sarah is teaching in a grade 3 classroom and also teaches adjunct at a local liberal arts college in the education department.
Sarah didn’t start out in the field of education, though as she looks back she was always a teacher. While living internationally, she began a career with a large retail company. Traveling the world, developing training, supporting new store openings, and managing large teams was exciting, but after a few years, she began to wonder if the classroom would be a better place for her. After returning to the U.S., she pursued a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and never looked back.
As the vice president of Everest Scholars, Sarah aims to provide a learning path for students that leads them to become independent leaners. Her goal is to see students receive appropriate support in order to excel academically and socially.
Sarah enjoys hiking, reading, and spending every spare minute with her husband and two teenage boys.
April Joy Garcera
Content Manager
April Joy was in her 6th-period English Language arts class in high school when she chose to pursue a career as an educator. She always knew as a young girl that she wanted to make a difference in life, and after having had impactful high school teachers herself, she knew the calling of an educator would satisfy both her desire to shape the future and her love of learning. April Joy received her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from the California State University of Bakersfield, and also acquired a multiple-subject teaching credential. She has been proudly serving the California public education system for 8 years.
The learning experience, whether virtual or in class, is one of the most significant principles of April Joy. How a child experiences the learning environment and personal interconnection are all integral to the comprehensive success of the child. To her, success is not simply academic standing - success is also molding and nurturing a child to confidence, comfort, contentedness, citizenship, kind, respectful interactions/collaborations with their peers, and to a sense of pride within themselves. The learning experience contributes to all these characteristics, and April Joy maintains this by leading her instruction with respect, love, and care.
Each year, she makes a promise to give her students a life-changing experience under her tutelage, and she is proud to be able to continue this fervor and passion with Everest Scholars. She has seen firsthand the impacts that Everest Scholars has made, and looks forward to seeing the company bring many more students to the top.
Taylor Jo Collins
Program Manager
Taylor became a teacher because she loves children and wanted to impact their lives, ignite a love of learning, and support their emotional well-being. She graduated from the California State University of Bakersfield with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies and has a multiple-subject teaching credential. She has been an educator in the California public school system for four years.
Building strong and impactful relationships with students is the pinnacle to Taylor, and she aims to promptly establish a positive rapport with the students she works with. She considers relationships to be the foundation to students’ development and success. Students need to feel a sense of belonging in order to thrive in a safe learning environment. She also believes that encouraging confidence will lead to students being more engaged in the learning process.
Being an educator is extremely rewarding for Taylor, as it provides her with opportunities that involve seeing students thrive to their highest potential. Taylor looks forward to helping students achieve success in all manners including academics and social well being as she works with Everest Scholars.
Meet Our Educators
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