Faculty & Staff Directory

Began at CAIS 2025

Kelly Leighton recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a molecular cellular biology bachelors of science degree. She also has a certified nursing assistant certificate.

BEGAN AT CAIS 2019

Li Laoshi was born and raised in Beijing China and worked with children from K-5 for over 10 years in international schools before joining the CAIS community. She LOVES children and especially enjoy watching their abilities to grow and develop. She also loves singing, dancing, exploring new places and food.

BEGAN AT CAIS 2022

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Li to our Middle School faculty. She brings deep knowledge in math instruction and holds a Master of Education in Learning Design, Innovation and Technology from Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Connecticut. In addition to teaching at Silver Lane Elementary School and Bowers Elementary School in Connecticut, she comes to us most recently from research positions at NeuroMaker STEM in Somerville, MA, and MIND Research Institute in Irving, CA. She is a Mandarin speaker and in her graduate studies, she worked to build relationships with international students across academic disciplines and cultures.

Began at CAIS 2023

Preschool Support Teacher Wei Ling (Michelle) Li comes from Canton, China, where she was an elementary school music teacher for 8 years. Before joining CAIS in 2023, she worked at Chinatown Community Children’s Center for four years. She loves interacting with children and supporting their growth, as well as creating a harmonious working environment with colleagues. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, singing, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Began at CAIS 2025

BEGAN AT CAIS 2011

Preschool Support Teacher Lin Laoshi Jackie had been teaching elementary school in Shanghai, China for many years before she came to the US. She loves to watch the children grow and create an environment to help children learn Chinese language and culture. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and her dog!

Began at CAIS 2025

Yuren Lin 林俞任 is  originally from Taiwan, where she earned a master’s degree in education and a certificate in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She spent nearly eight years teaching in Taiwan before relocating to Kansas with her family, where they lived for two years. They later moved to Utah, where she dedicated another eight years to teaching in the Chinese Dual Language Immersion Program. Beyond her passion for education, she enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, and skiing.

BEGAN AT CAIS 2001

A beloved fixture of the fifth grade experience, Liu Laoshi majored in elementary education at DaBu Normal Teachers College, earned a bachelor’s in early childhood development at South China Normal University (Huanan Shifan Daxue in Guangzhou) and a second bachelor’s in Liberal Arts at San Francisco State University. Having also taught for nine years at an elementary school in Dongguan, Guangdong, Liu Laoshi brings a world of experience to her classroom at Oak Street. She is also an OPI tester and a CAIS parent, as well (John-Yi S. ’22 and Margaret S. ’24).

BEGAN AT CAIS 2014

Ms. Long has a strong focus on social and emotional learning and is known for holding her students to a high standard with a smile. Ms. Long is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a Master’s in education from University of the Pacific Bay Area Teacher Training Institute. During college, she taught adult ESL classes with the Asian Immigrant Women Advocates. After college, Ms. Long joined Teach for China and spent two years teaching English and art at a rural village school in Yunnan, China, before joining us as a teacher at CAIS in 2014.

See news of Ms. Long’s inclusion in the AAPI Heroes Mural