Ms Aguayo is a native Texan, raised in the Rio Grande Valley (Weslaco). She attended Brandeis University in Waltham, MA for her undergraduate studies (Anthropology, English, and History) and Harvard University in Cambridge, MA for graduate studies in History. Upon returning to Texas, Ms Aguayo began teaching with Austin ISD, first at the Liberal Arts Academy (LAA) and then making the move to the LBJ campus when the LAA merged with the Science Academy to form LASA. Ms Aguayo is proud to be a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) and a Milken Educator ('09). One of her favorite things is watching students realize that history is more than a long list of names and dates; she can't wait to share her love of history with a new group of students.

I teach AP Government. I recently graduated from UT Austin, so this will be my first year as a teacher.

I can trace my passion for education back to my early years, when I felt compelled to share every manner of ""fun fact"" I could with family, friends, and unsuspecting strangers. I eventually learned to be less annoying about it, but I never lost my love of teaching. I also got into government and politics as a kid, watching the news almost as much as cartoons. Not much has changed there.

As far as major achievements, I've adopted a beautiful baby girl named Rosalina (pictured above). She's my pride and joy.

I'm excited to get to know everyone here in the LASA community, and please let me know if you have any questions or comments for me.

I teach Social Studies at LASA High School, including World Geography and AP World History. I am originally from Long Island, New York (yes, you will hear my accent!). I live in Austin with my husband, two young kids, and two pit bulls. I love to run, hike, read, do art work, and be with my family during my free time. During my Bachelors, I double majored in Arabic Studies and History at Binghamton University. After graduating, I studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo and taught English at AMIDEAST in Alexandria, Egypt in 2011 for a little over a year. During my time living in Alex, I met my husband. When I came back to NY, I went on to earn a Masters in Teaching Social Studies from Stony Brook University, while working as a home instructor (and raising two babies!). I am very passionate about learning and teaching- especially Arabic and Social Studies. I look forward to getting to know you and learning with you through out your time here at LASA! Feel free to always come and say hi to me!

I've been a teacher since 2008 and worked here at LASA since 2015. In that time I've had the opportunity to teach almost every social studies course there is, from Texas history for seventh graders to sociology for seniors. I believe that noting is more important for preparing young people to live lives in the modern world than to understand how people have lived before, in different times and places, and the ideas that we can form about what it means to be human. I feel deeply fortunate to have the opportunity to work those things with my students every day.

The class I've taught the most and specialize in is AP World History, which I've taught continuously since 2010. I love teaching World History because it brings an immensely broad scope to the way we think about our lives and modernity. World history focuses less on the small and isolated story of a single country and more on the interwoven tapestry of a global network of human beings. In this network, the social cannot be disentangled from the political, and no region exists without the support of its neighbors and its neighbors' neighbors.

Jason Flowers has been teaching AP US History at LASA for many years. In addition to APUSH, Mr. Flowers teaches American Film and coaches Quiz Bowl and History Bowl along with Mr. Escandell. He is originally from South Louisiana and has a B.A. in history from LSU along with a master’s degree in social studies education from North Texas. Mr. Flowers is also the head coach and team leader for Team USA for the International Geography Olympiad and serves on the board of directors of the National Consortium of Specialized STEM Schools. Under normal circumstances, Mr. Flowers spends lots of time traveling, but since March has spent lots of time riding his road bike around Austin. He lives in Austin with his partner Meagan and his two kittens Moxie and Muffin.

I’m Josue Garcia and I joined the social studies department during the 2023-24 school year. I’m from Amarillo, Texas but have lived in Austin close to 20 years. I have a BA in Political Science and an M.Ed in secondary education from Texas State University. Before teaching I worked in various fields that included fundraising for non-profits and voter outreach for local city elections. I love teaching Social Studies and the Humanities because it gives me the opportunity to elevate marginalized voices and show how the different experiences of the past have shaped our society now, and how our current experiences continue to shape our society for the future. I’m a huge soccer fan and can talk soccer all day. My two favorite teams are Manchester United and Austin FC. I also love almost any outdoor activity you can name and recently have started to become a big fan of cruise travel.

My teaching experiences include; teaching Biology in Tanzania as a Peace Corps Volunteer, World History and Geography teacher in Albany, NY, IB History in Caracas Venezuela, AP Macro/Micro/World History and Geography in Taiwan, AP Macro and Micro/AP World/Asian Studies in South Korea, World History/English Literature/P.E. in Japan.
I enjoy music, cooking, traveling, and home life.
Hobbies include DIYs, guitar, reading with a focus on biographies, history, politics, and economics (When I have time).

I teach social studies at LASA, currently World Geography and AP World History. 

I graduated summa cum laude from the Honors College with a Bachelor's in History and a teaching certificate from UNT. While there, I worked for the History department assisting professors and tutoring students. 

I am originally from the Dallas area. I am a Dallas Wings fan and a casual enjoyer of the WNBA, in addition to other women's sports. I live with my wife and our two cats, Snoopy and Bandit. My sister also lives in Austin, and I spend a lot of my time hanging out with her and our friends. I also enjoy film and swimming. 

I’m Eric Martanovic, teacher of AP Government, AP Macroeconomics and baseball coach.

I have been a coach, mentor, and teacher for many years. Prior to teaching, I was a store executive for Target. I have a BS in Criminal Justice from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, where I was a scholarship athlete and graduated in four years. I still appear in some of the single season and career top-10’s for baseball statistics at the school. After a two-season stint in professional baseball, I went on to earn my MS in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2005, where I focused my interest in the topics of constitutional law and Supreme Court cases. In 2012, I earned my MA in Teaching from Northwestern State University in Louisiana.

I’m an active volunteer in youth sports. I serve as Vice President for Oak Hill Youth Sports Association, coach 9u baseball and flag football. I love to bake a variety of breads and sweets around the holidays and host gatherings around my backyard barbecue.

Running, hiking, golfing, and mountain biking are some of my favorite outdoor activities… other than baseball of course!

I have two amazing children, a son Callen (9) and a daughter Carley (8), along with two delinquent dogs and one well-behaved cat… that sometimes knocks things off counter tops. This summer I watched countless baseball games, went to Lake Tahoe and swam in 55 degree water and hiked a black diamond mountain slope, taught the kids how to surf at South Padre Island, had a weekend stay at the Commodore Perry Estate, and coached the 8u Raptors to two championships.

Cody Moody grew up in San Antonio, TX but has been glad to call Austin home since 1998.  He attended UT Austin and double majored in Germanic Studies and American Studies, graduating magna cum laude. He has taught at LASA for many years and currently teaches Freshman World Geography and AP Human Geography. Over the years, he has sponsored Model UN Club, Academic World Quest, Hoops for Troops, Youth and Government and multiple other clubs. He is a proud National Board Certified Teacher. He enjoys being outside in nature, running, snow skiing, coaching his kids sports teams, listening to lots of music, aspirational DJing, and especially loves hanging with his wife and kids. He also has a wicked love/hate relationship with the board game Settlers of Catan. 

Kim Pettigrew has been teaching at LASA since 2010. I'm a native Austinite and actually graduated from LASA having been taught by a handful of teachers still working here. She got both her bachelors and masters in history at UT Dallas but is an ardent TCU fan (definitely a bit weird). Her parents live in town and she lives with her cat, Tigger. Other family members include a brother, sister in law and a niece. In addition to APUSH she sponsors NHS and DivCo. When not working she enjoys cuddling with her cat, crafting, and reading.