MS.MARQUITA

GEM Director

Birthday: July 2nd

My Favorite…

Holiday: Thanksgiving

Drink: Coke/ Caramel Frappe

Restaurant: No preference I love food  Snack: Chocolate-covered pretzels

Meal: Alfredo

Store: Target

Book: Romance novels ( I love happy endings)

Pet: None but I love Giraffes

Hobby: Making memories with family  

Collections: Disney movies on VHS tapes 

About Me: I have been at GEM since June 2015. I love watching young children grow and learn something new each day. I am in school to earn my Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. When I am not working, I switch from my teacher's hat to my chaos coordinator hat and enjoy spending time with my tribe of 4 daughters  

Readiness Preschool Director

Birthday: December 16th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas 

Drink: Sparkling Water, Unsweet Tea, Vanilla Diet coke, Seven Brew Energy Drinks, Starbucks 

Restaurant: Chipotle, Olive Garden 

Snack: Popcorn 

Meal: Mexican 

Store: Hobby Lobby, Kohls, Target, Maurices or Bennetts 

Book: To Kill A Mockingbird

 Pet: Dog 

Hobby: Crafting, Reading, Scrapbooking, Gardening 

Collections: Puzzles, Snowmen

About Me: I hold degrees in both Education and Theater from Purdue. I have been in the classroom for over 25 years! I love the joy and liveliness that the children bring to class every day. I am a lifelong resident of Lafayette and love to spend time outside the classroom with my husband and daughter. I also enjoy reading, scrapbooking, cooking  and gardening.

Readiness Assistant Teacher

Birthday: August 28th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Valentine’s Day

Drink: Sweet Tea

Restaurant: McAlister’s, Chuey’s

Snack: Anything Chocolate 

Meal: Pizza, Mexican 

Store: Hobby Lobby, Target

Book: Country Sampler Magazine

Pet: A dog named Louie

Hobby: Shopping, Crafting

Collections: Crocks

About Me: My name is Mrs. Baker. I have a husband named Eric , 3 daughters, and a dog named Louie. All 3 of my girls went to GEM Readiness. I have been a sub for the past few years. I love to craft and shop in my spare time. I am excited to start at Readiness with Mrs. Black.

Program Specialist

Birthday: May 30th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Halloween

Drink: Water, Sweet Tea, Energy Drinks, Coffee

Restaurant: Taste of India, Panda, Wing Stop

Snack: Dill Pickles, Chips, Tomatoes

Meal: Pasta, Anything Veggies, Pizza

Store: Barnes & Noble, Target, Earthbound, Amused Clothing

Book: Harry Potter Series

Pet: Dog

Hobby: Games, Reading, Puzzles, Painting, Bracelet making, Legos

Collections: Board Games, Mystery Books, Vintage Shirts

About Me: I graduated from Benton Central in 2015. I enjoy playing games, building Legos, going on walks with my dog, and painting. I have worked in child care for over 8 years.

Preschool Mentor

Birthday: February 13th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Advent/ Christmas

Drink: Coffee

Restaurant: Noodles & Co./Panera

Snack: Chocolate/ Cheese Its

Meal: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Store: Target/Marshall's

Book: Historical Fiction/Non-Fiction/Classic

Pet: 2 Cats

Hobby: Cross Stitch/Piano/Reading

Collections: Books

About Me: I am from Brookston, In. I am studying Elementary Education. When I’m not at work, I like to read, play piano, and bake cookies.

Birthday: October 12th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas

Drink: Hot Chocolate 

Restaurant: Chinese or Mexican

Snack: Cookies

Collections: Good memories with my son

Pet: A dog someday

Meal: Chicken & noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls.

Store: H&M/Old Navy

Book: History/ Biography's/ current Events

Hobby: Traveling/Politics/Extreme Outdoor Sports

About Me:  I'm a mom, to my precious son. He brings much joy to my life! I have worked with young children and babies for over 10 years. I love listening to music, reading books, playing games, and watching movies with my son. My favorite season is spring. I love watching the world come alive again, the trees getting green leaves and flowers blooming. 

Toddler Mentor

Birthday: March 28th

My Favorite…

Holiday:  Easter/ Christmas/ Halloween

Drink:  Water/ Cherry vanilla coke/ Dr. 

  Pepper

Restaurant: Olive Garden & Texas 

 Roadhouse, Pepes

Snack:  Chips & Salsa, Fruit

Meal:  Anything pasta or Mexican

Store:  Home Décor Stores/ Target

Book: Mystery

Pet: 2 Dogs

Hobby: Spending time with friends & family

Collections: Candles, wax melts

About Me: I have been working with children since 2011. My goal is to go back to school and study special education. I love working with children. I enjoy watching them grow & learn. In my free time, I love to spend time with my family and friends.

Birthday: December 2nd

My Favorite…

Holiday: Halloween, Christmas

Drink: Dr. Pepper, Tea

Restaurant: Sonic, Texas Roadhouse, Dairy Queen

Snack: Tater Tots, Jolly Ranchers

Meal: Cheeseburger, Italian/Chinese

Store: Any pet store

Book: The Hunger Games

Pet: Dog and two cats

Hobby: Reading, Video Games

Collections:  Squishmallows, Teddy bears, Snow Globes

About Me: I have a dog named Rigby and two cats named Cassian and Azriel. I'm from Kentucky. I enjoy reading and playing video games.

Birthday:  August 16th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Halloween and Christmas 

Drink: Green mango, sweet tea 

Restaurant: Subway, Arby’s 

Snack: Chicken biscuits and chips 

Meal: Mexican, or Italian 

Store:  TJ Maxx 

Book: Halloween town 

Pet: Dog

Hobby: Writing poems crafting, and shopping

Collections:  I love collecting original monster stuff, Halloween town stuff 

About Me:  Hi my name is Bridget. I love enjoying time with family, my kiddos, and my husband. I absolutely love doing crafts and shopping. I love being around people and going places.

Birthday:  October 4

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas

Drink: Water

Restaurant: Kimchi Restaurant

Snack: Fruit

Meal: Cheeseburger 

Store: At Home

Book: Life/ Bible

Pet: Dog

Hobby: Sing/ Golf

Collections: Watches

About Me:  I have worked in the education industry for 12 years. I was a preschool director in South Korea and toured a few different preschools to teach. After I moved to the USA, I continued to be involved in the industry volunteering at Murdock Elementary School as a teachers aid. I have a son who studied Electrical Engineering at Purdue University and loves playing musical instruments, and a daughter who is currently in Seattle for Dental Clinic Studies.

Birthday: August 27th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas

Drink: Coffee

Restaurant: El Rodeo

Snack: Cheese

Meal: Lasagna

Store: Torrid

Book: "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

Pet: No Pets

Hobby: Cake Decorating

Collections: Magnets and Coffee Mugs

About Me: I've been feeding children since 2019. I love spending time with my son, Beau. I love music, nature, and animals. My favorite place is Maine. I can't wait to take Beau there someday.

 Birthday: January 20th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas 

Drink: Ginger ale, Peppermint Mocha, 

 Gatorade

Restaurant: Red Lobster,En Lia, South Steet

   Smoke House

Snack: Don't snack much

Pet: Love dogs

Meal: Shrimp, Lobster, Crab Legs, french

 fries

Store: TJ Maxx, Sell It Here

Book: Dean Kountz, Stephen King

Hobby: Drawing,  painting 

Collections: Plants, owls, candles

About Me:  I have my BA degree in Elementary Education, and I taught in California before moving back to Indiana. I have been with Grace since 1995. I have two grown children and one grandchild.

Birthday: December 10th 

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas

Drink: Strawberry Lemonade

Restaurant: Olive Garden

Snack: Fruit

Meal: Pasta

Store: Meijer 

Book: N/A

Pet: 2 dogs

Hobby: Crocheting 

Collections: Candles

About Me: I like to do crafty things like sewing, knitting, crocheting, and nails. I have an older and younger sister and a baby niece.

Birthday: January 26th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Halloween (I love all things spooky)

Drink: Dr. Pepper wins my heart!

Restaurant: I love a good burrito from Moe's

Snack: Has to be popcorn hands down.

Meal: A simple BLT with a side of fries wins my heart.

Store: Hobby Lobby

Book: All of the Lord of the Rings

Pet: One sassy bearded dragon

Hobby: I love crafting & playing video games

Collections: I collect dice, buttons/pins, and plenty of pens.

About Me: Hello! My name is Chrissy and I started working in childcare in 2023. My favorite part of the day is bonding with the kids and watching them grow. In my free time, you can see me doing an assortment of crafts and nerdy things.

Birthday: October 31

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas and Halloween

Drink: Cherry Dr. Pepper, Green Tea, Iced Caramel Macchiato

Restaurant: Any Mexican, Korean BBQ

Snack: Dark Chocolate, Kit Kat, Sour Candies, BBQ Pork Rinds, Pringles (BBQ), Seaweed Snacks 

Meal: I love anything Mexican

Store: TJ Maxx and Target

Book: Any Manga Books

Pet: No Pets

Hobby: Arts & Crafts: Watching k/c dramas, Learning new languages, Painting 

Collections: Perfumes, Baby Oils

About Me: Hello, I'm Shalonda most people call me Londa. I have been working with children for about 8 years. I was a School Aid Teacher in DE for about a year before having my son, then a stay at home mom for about 2 years then back working with children in Daycare. I'm only a mom to 1 boy he is 4 years old and he's my world. I'm a pretty outgoing person but also a homebody that loves to cuddle up and watch Kdramas! 

Birthday: January 11th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Thanksgiving

Drink: Apple Juice

Restaurant: Olive Garden

Snack: Kettle Popcorn

Meal: Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli 

Store: Target

Book: Any Romance

Pet: None

Hobby: Singing and Cooking

Collections: Purses

About Me: I am a mother of 3! I am from Chicago. I have been in childcare for 4 years and looking forward to many more years! My favorite color is Pink, Olive green and Orange. I am the 5th child out of 6.

Birthday: December 3rd

My Favorite…

Holiday: Halloween

Drink: Tea

Restaurant: Greenleaf

Snack: Cookies

Meal: Greek Bowls

Store: Barnes & Noble

Book: The Hobbit

Pet: Dogs

Hobby: Reading

Collections: Books

About Me: I’m a mom of 3. I am from northwest Indiana & I have lived all over, but prefer the area. I like sci fi and horror…& books, tea, and food. Street festivals….or chilling at home. Id say that I am a somewhere between a homebody and a social butterfly.

Birthday:  January 29th

My Favorite…

Holiday: Halloween

Drink: Diet Coke, Ginger Ale, Horchata

Restaurant: Cheddars, The Bryant, Kimchis, Greenleaf

Snack: Hot Chips, White Cheddar Popcorn, Bbq Chips

Meal: Korean Bbq, Pasta, Mexican Food, Mediterranean

Store: Tj Maxx, Marshalls, Target, Walmart

Book: Charles Bukowski Poems, Poem Books

Pet: I have 1 dog, Tobi

Hobby: Video Games, Reading, Hikes, Working Out

Collections: Squishmallow

About Me: I’m 20, I have 1 dog, Tobi. I graduated from beauty school in December of 2023 w my Esthetics certification and then got my license in March! I have 3 siblings and 2 nieces, my favorite color is green, my favorite candy is anything sour or KitKats!

Birthday:  February 23rd

My Favorite…

Holiday: Christmas

Drink: Coke

Restaurant: Lindo Mexico

Snack: Pretzels

Meal: Fried Chicken

Store: Walmart

Book: Does not have one

Pet: 2 dogs MIssy and Tito

Hobby: Coloring

Collections: Bracelets 

About Me: I am 18 years old. I just graduated High School. My favorite color is purple. I like to spend time with my friends and family.