Tania Hernandez

Tania Hernández is the proud School Leader at KIPP: Iluminar Academy. Her journey began in the late 1990s, working as a Teacher Assistant for the Los Angeles School District.  After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola Marymount and completing a teaching credentialing program at CAL State Dominguez Hills, she became a teacher in Lynwood Unified School District.  There she taught 2nd grade for three years and was an active member of the Parent Teacher Association.  In 2009 she joined KIPP Raíces Academy and founded first and second grade.  She was part of the team that helped score an API of 963 in 2011 and 961 in 2012, becoming one of the top elementary schools in the state.  Four years later, she joined KIPP: Iluminar Academy to continue to spread excellence throughout East Los Angeles.  In the last ten years at Iluminar, Mrs. Hernández has been a founding Dean, founding Assistant School Leader, Interim School Leader, and became Successor School Leader in 2017.  She received her Master’s in School Administration from Loyola Marymount University during this time.  Mrs. Hernández believes that all students, no matter where they come from, have the right to a safe and excellent education and is happy to be part of KIPP SoCal’s team and family.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband Peter, daughter Xóchitl, son Luka and their dog Gizmo.