2025 Summer Programs Faculty
Meet Our Team!
Notre Dame Summer Programs are staffed with experienced, enthusiastic faculty. Learn a little bit about them in the biographies below.
John Amarillas
Coach Amarillas, Notre Dame’s strength and conditioning coach since 2002, brings more than three decades of experience training junior high and high school athletes. His passion for strength and conditioning is evident as he helps young people become the best they can be. He will meet the athletes where they are and move them forward in a planned and safe manner. Coach Ammo holds two certifications (CSCS, USAW 1) from the only two nationally-accredited institutions in the country.
Ali Bueno ’06
Coach Ali is entering her 11th season as the varsity head coach at Notre Dame High School and the founder and director of Bueno Basketball Academy. She believes all players have the potential to become great with consistent effort on the right things, quality coaches and mentors, accountability and belonging to an encouraging community. Coach Ali is a proud alum of Notre Dame and is excited to bring her passion for coaching basketball and developing leaders to summer camp!
Nicholas Carrillo
Nick is a veteran digital media teacher in the San Mateo Union High School District, having taught there since 2011. He received his B.A. in studio art with an emphasis in graphic design from Long Beach State University. Nick continues to work in his free time as a freelance graphic designer and amateur filmmaker, while also spending time with his two children and wife in the garden.
Alexandra Cunningham ’08
Alex is a Notre Dame High School alum and splits her time between her home and business in South Africa and teaching at NDSJ. She studied urban community development and art at New York University and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She is the managing director and founder of Boundless City.
Patricia Danielidis
Patricia is a music educator with a deep passion for helping students connect with music. Originally from Montreal, Canada, she earned her Music Education credential from McGill University and has been immersed in the world of music for the past 13 years. She believes that students thrive when they learn about the music they love, fostering a deep sense of connection and fulfillment. Patricia is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Instrumental Conducting at San José State University.
Eran DeSilva
Eran is the Director of Teaching and Learning at Notre Dame and a social studies teacher. She holds degrees in international relations and art studio from UC Davis, as well as a master's degree in teaching from the University of San Francisco.
Tanisha Fitzgerald
Susana Garcia
Elliott Gavino
Deacon Steve Hererra
Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer is the Director of Summer Programs at Notre Dame High School and Director of the Academic Resource Center at Bellarmine College Preparatory. Jennifer is passionate about providing a supportive learning environment for students so that they can thrive in their educational experience and beyond. She loves watching their confidence grow as they embrace new strategies to help them succeed in the classroom and in life.
Emily King
Emily just finished up her seventh year at ND, and she is thrilled to be teaching summer workshops in dance and creative writing. The high school classroom is where she discovered her passion for the arts and literature, and she hopes to foster that same passion in the students joining her programs. It is her goal to use English and dance as a vehicle for students to find their unique voice, both on the page and on the stage!
David Knuth
David holds a bachelor's of computer science from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from San Jose State. With over 10 years of Python programming experience, he’s also skilled in other languages. David loves side projects like chasing National Weather Service balloons, doing Advent of Code, DIY trail cams, 3D printing and fake fireplaces. He says, "If you want to learn something, do a project that uses it."
Caitlyn Nichols
Caitlyn is a professional stage manager and maker who currently serves as the Co-Technical Theatre Director at Notre Dame High School. She has worked internationally with companies including Disney World Live Entertainment and the National Theatre in London as well as locally with Red Barn Productions and Playful People Productions. She received her B.A. with honors from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales.
Tania Pal
Tania is a certified yoga teacher and mindfulness coach at Fusion Academy. Passionate about youth development, she integrates yoga and mindfulness to cultivate present-moment awareness, resilience and self-confidence. With an engineering background, she blends human anatomy, cognitive psychology and social-emotional learning to offer a holistic toolkit for self-care, stress reduction and personal growth.
Cecilia Perkins
Sonia Rebelo ’89
Sonia’s passion for the Constitution, law and justice inspired her to teach Government and Economics for 25 years in San Jose. For almost 20 of those years, she coached Mock Trial. Sonia was inducted into the Santa Clara County Mock Trial Coaches Hall of Fame and led one of her teams to both quarterfinals and semifinals. As an ND alum, Sonia brought her skills and passion back to where her love of justice started—Notre Dame!
Yelena Nash
Yelena is the Director of Athletics at Notre Dame. She brings a wealth of experience playing competitive international volleyball for five years, teaching and coaching for 12 years and working with student-athletes for more than 15 years. Her mission is to grow women leaders through sports, fostering leadership from high school and throughout their life journey.
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If you have questions about Notre Dame Summer Programs, please contact:

Jennifer Johnson
Director of Summer Programs
summer@ndsj.org