Meet the Staff

Nicole Fusaro

Camp Owner/Director

Nicole has been a special education teacher for over 28 years. She received her BA from Seton Hall University in Criminal Justice. She has (2) Masters degrees, (1) in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix, and (2) in Special Education from the University of Arizona. She is credentialed to teach mild-moderate, moderate-severe, early childhood and children with Autism. She is trained in TEACCH and ABA. Nicole is fluent in American Sign Language and taught at the Phoenix School for the Deaf. She taught in Arizona before moving to California. Her last 18 years was teaching in the
Newport Mesa School District. Currently, Nicole is working as a child advocate to help support families who have a child with special needs.
She has a non-profit: Building Futures and Friends to support individuals with disabilities through Consultation, Advocacy, and Enrichment Programs.
https://www.futuresandfriends.org/

Meet The Team

Cathy Bauers - 7 years

Cathy has a BA in History and Early Childhood Development. She currently works as an Instructional Assistant in a local HS in Newport Beach, California for students with special needs. She has been an IF for 20 years. This is her 7th summer working @myFAVE camp. Cathy has 3 beautiful children.

Maria Schlueter-Carey - 6 years

Maria has a BS in Psychology. She has worked with our extraordinary population for 20 years as a Behavior interventionist.
She has worked with myFAVE for 6 years.
Her God given skillset to be patient, goofy, silly and outside the proverbial box makes working in this field a natural fit.

Maria Sotelo - 5 years

Maria currently working as a 1:1 Behavioral Intervention in the Newport Mesa Unified School District. She has her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Concordia University, Irvine. She has been working with special needs children/adults for over 10 years, from ages 3 to 30. This is Maria's 4th summer working with myFAVE.

Kimberlee Pegausch -3 years

Kim has been working at Newport Mesa for 13 years as an Instructional Assistant in Special Education. I am ABA trained and I am also a trained Health Assistant working with students who have varying disabilities. I have been working at BFF camp for 3 years now and love every second of it!

Jillian Romine - 4 years

Jillian have worked as a Behavior Interventionist since 2017. This is Jillian's 3rd summer working for myFAVE. Currently, pursing her nursing degree in hopes to work as a special needs nurse.

Jane Babasa - 1 year

Jane is currently an Instructional Assistant - Behavioral Intervention in the Newport Mesa Unified School District. She is passionate about education and brings over 19 years of experience in the space, primarily working with special needs students across all levels. Outside of work, Jane loves traveling the world with her daughter.

Masi Refaei - 1 year

Masi has a bachelors degree in Mathematics and an AA degree in Early Childhood Development. She has worked as an instructional assistant for the past 7 years.

Karla Romero- 1st year

Nancy Almanza- 1st year

Karla a Bachelor of Arts from USC in Anthropology and a minor in Psychology. She has been working with special needs children and adults for 19 years. Currently am a 1:1 BI in Newport Beach. Worked as an ABA in-home therapist, parent consultant and supervisor with Footprints Behavioral Intervention. She has been married for 19 years and has 3 kids.

Nancy has been working in the field of Special Education for 15 years. She was introduced through a program in high school. She is a behavioral interventionist, and has an AA in Spanish.. Currently working in Newport Mesa as an instructional assistant/health assistant, been for the past 7 years.

Ela Limpay- 1st year

For the past three years, Ela has had the privilege of working as an Instructional Assistant in Special Education at NMUSD. She comes to this role with a foreign Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, which prepared me well for my role.

Terry King- 1st year

Terry has a BA degree in Liberal Studies from Cal State Fullerton. She is an Instructional Assistant for Special Ed for Newport Mesa Unified for 5 years and a teacher's aid for 4 years before that. She has 4 adult children. Her guilty pleasure is Disneyland!