Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Ortega

Kristine Fernandez

Kristine is a Navy wife with a blended family of 5 kids ranging in ages from 1-22. She has a BS in Chemical Engineering from USF (Go Bulls) and over 19 years of experience in engineering. She and her mother (Betsy Rodgers) opened Mathnasium together in 2018. Kristine believes that a good education allows students to achieve their maximum potential in life. She has taught and tutored children of all ages, and she is committed to bringing the Mathnasium Method to the children in the community.

Marcia Young

Marcia is a wife, mom, and teacher that loves math! She holds a master's degree in Christian Education from Virginia Baptist College and a Bachelor's of Science in Music Education with a secondary teaching field in math from Pensacola Christian College. She has gained 15 years of classroom teaching experience and hours of tutoring experience. She is currently teaching her own children, as well as teaching Latin and math to a small coop group in the morning and working at Mathnasium in the afternoon. She believes learning math is not limited to "math people" but that anyone is capable of learning math. She loves helping kids see the "light bulb" come on and realize they can do it!

Alicyn Bradley

Alicyn is a 6th/7th grade math teacher at Jacksonville Classical Academy. She loves that math always has a logical answer; it has to make sense! In her free time, she likes to travel, read, and spend time with family.

Malva Canada

Malva worked as a math teacher in elementary through high school for twenty years. She also spent time working as a tutor with high school and college students. In her free time she is the treasurer and a Sunday School Teacher at her church. She is a founding member of the African American Heritage Society in Pensacola, FL. She also is a Volunteer at St. Vincent’s Riverside.

Tonja Henze

Tonja has recently moved back to Illinois where she was born and raised. She retired after 30 years of working for the University of Illinois. She has been a substitute teacher, a 4-H leader, and a Girl Scout Leader. Tonja has lots of pets and likes to do crafts at home. She believes that math can be fun like solving a mystery and wants to help others to become math detectives too!

Luke Mitchell

Luke recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Math, Biology, and Policy. He has lived in Jacksonville for two years and is hoping to attend graduate school to study urban planning. In his free time he enjoys keeping up with current world events, walking his dog, reading science fiction novels, and exploring local parks and nature.

Mark Manasco

Mark is a Junior high school student at Paxon School for Advance Studies. He plans on majoring in mechanical engineering after he graduates and attends college. In his free time he enjoys being a part of both band and JROTC programs, spencing time with family, and working at Mathnasium.

Shiloh Cuffe

Shiloh is currently attending Ridgeview High School and is taking various AP classes related to STEM. He wants to major in mechanical engineering with future career goals as a aerospace/aeronautical engineer. This coincides with his favorite subjects: Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Engineering. He enjoys competing in STEM related events such as Physics Bowls, F=ma, and Engineering Day by SAME. In his free time, he likes to play video games and soccer.