KAYLEE TONG

Chino Valley

Kaylee Tong is an alumnus of California Baptist University in Riverside, California, having earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and minor in Business Administration with a concentration in Piano Pedagogy (the study of teaching piano!) in the Spring of 2022. Residing in the city of Chino Hills, she has built a musical community and developed a passion for teaching piano and voice to young children, teens and adults for over 8 years. In 2017, Kaylee served as Chino Hills High School’s student choral director and was bestowed the Choral Music Star award. She has since embraced unique opportunities of performing at Carnegie Hall, NY for the Honors Performance Series' International Women's Choir in 2018 as well as touring nationwide as an accompanist and choral member for her university’s ensemble, Camerata. Upon successful completion of all 10 levels in the Music Teacher’s Association of California’s Certificate of Merit piano program in 2009-2018 and earning 3 Soloist Trophies in the National Federation of Music Club’s piano festival since age 10, she has gained invaluable exposure to diverse music styles ranging from classical, Latin- American, Gospel, jazz, and pop contemporary. Kaylee recently became a member of the MTAC Diamond Bar branch in 2023 and serves as a collaborative artist for Santiago High School choral ensembles in Corona, CA. In her free time, she is an experimental home-baker, crocheter, and travel- enthusiast. Kaylee aspires to use her passion for music to honor God and to commemorate her mother, who never failed to attend every piano recital, exam, and ceremony she had while growing up

BROOKE LEVESQUE

Orange County

Brooke is an alumnus of Biola University, where she graduated with her BA in Sociology with a minor in Psychology and completed their Torrey Honors College. While having not received a formal education in art, Brooke has been drawing and painting for as long she can remember, and has used her practice for both personal expression as well as commissioned work. Among the several projects she has contributed to, she recently completed an expansive collection of illustrations for the major pro-life advocacy group Live Action for their video series "I Saw My Baby".
Brooke enjoys cultivating creativity as well as curiosity in students, helping them engage artfully with a world filled with so much goodness, truth, and beauty. She believes in the fundamental importance of fun in making art, not just discipline and rigidity. Besides painting with watercolors and constant doodling, Brooke likes to spend her time going outside, watching good films, reading good books, and writing letters to friends.

MAGALI CORTES

Chino & Orange County

Magali graduated from Azusa Pacific University where she obtained a BFA degree in Acting for the Stage and Screen. APU’s program is unique in that students are able to receive rigorous training in their craft, have multiple performance opportunities on stage and on screen, and are able to do so in an environment that values putting God first. Magali has 10+ years of piano experience as well as many years of musical theatre and classical style vocal training. She has studied theatre style dancing and trained at Valverde School of Performing Arts where she studied drama, voice and tap for multiple years.

Magali has performed in various musicals and plays in the area and hopes to share her experience and knowledge with students while exploring both acting and theatre. This will be done by recognizing the gifts God has individually given each student and by learning to use their bodies and voices to best tell truthful and important stories. God has brought her very far through this incredible art form and she hopes to share her passion for storytelling with you! Magali is very excited to be working with IBAA as she truly believes in their mission!

HANNAH STEWART

Chino, OC, & LA County

Hannah is a visual artist based in Orange County and graduated from Biola University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in Design as well as a Minor Degree in Biblical Studies. From being interested in illustrating her own stories and creatures, to falling in love with visual design and language, Hannah creates art that strives to relate to other people, especially students. After years of serving in a ministry focused on sharing the gospel with public school students, Hannah has grown a heart for students to know of Christ and His love for them.

Throughout her time in college and her career, Hannah specialized in the connection between art and spirituality, studying how the two are congruent with each other in order to better understand how God has designed us to be. Hannah believes that art is a wonderful way for students to not only better understand themselves, but their Creator as well. Hannah is very excited to provide opportunities for students to grow in their faith and discover beauty as they create their own works of art through Images Bearers Arts Academy.

JERID PACHECO 

Chino

Jerid is the Drum Set teacher for Image Bearer Arts Academy. He has always loved drawing, music, and other various forms of art. His love of the arts and passion for teaching drives him to inspire and spark creativity in the kids of our community.

For the past ten years he has headed up the graphics department at Boys Republic in Chino Hills where he also teaches a graphic design and silkscreen class. Since working there he has seen how much of a positive impact learning a new skill such as graphic design can have on the youth. Being able to combine that with his love for and relationship with Christ is something that Jerid is extremely excited about while working at IBAA.

ASHLYN HULIN

Orange County

Ashlyn is a passionate creator, educator and mentor in photography and ministry. She graduated from the University of La Verne in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography and Business Administration. As she pursued photography - working events, portrait sessions, and special editing jobs - she realized her deepest passion was in caring for the people she photographed. In response to this discovery, Ashlyn ministers to over 250 junior high students at her local church and teaches photography lessons along with photographing her own events.

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She believes everyone holds a gift of light within themselves and enjoys capturing that light as she listens, waits, and encourages that light to emerge from underneath the surface. With the opportunity to teach young individuals what it looks like to slow down and really see all that God has created right in front of them, she is excited to be an instructor of the photographic craft at Image Bearers Arts Academy.

PRISCILLA KIM

Chino

From doodling with MS Paint to designing with Photoshop, Priscilla Kim is a character designer for TV Animation with hopes of sharing her knowledge with other aspiring artists. She designed characters on developing projects such as Winged Magpie, Pests Out of Control, and JiuJitZoo. Outside of work, Priscilla also enjoys hiking in nature and trying out new cooking recipes.

CONNOR TRUAX

OC & LA County

Connor Truax is a freelance filmmaker and videographer based in Los Angeles. He recently graduated Biola University with a BA in Cinema & Media Arts and a minor in Biblical & Theological Studies. He is passionate about storytelling and creativity, believing that this draws us closer to God and to each other, and he loves to share this passion with others. He hopes that his students can gain a deeper understanding of God, His world, and themselves through art, and that it will be a continual, sustaining blessing throughout their lives.

While not in the classroom, or behind the camera, he enjoys all things outdoors, from camping to distance running. He can often be found reading, watching movies, or trying to decide what to make for dinner. Connor is thrilled to be teaching at  IBAA and can't wait to work with each and every student.

JESSICA SURJADI

Chino

Jessica Surjadi is a recent graduate from Ruben S. Ayala and is pursuing her B.S. degree in electrical engineering at Cal Poly. With 11 years of piano experience, Jessica spent 5 years within completion of all levels (beginner-advanced) of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).

Since 2020, Jessica developed a passion for teaching students music as well as helping children and teens improve their piano performance. She has taught students of different backgrounds and is patient toward students who are preoccupied in their learning.

Moreover, Jessica was a part of Ayala’s jazz ensemble in the spring of ‘22 and ‘23. As the main jazz pianist for the ensemble, Jessica performed in various concert halls and had the opportunity of performing for a “Music in the Parks” festival at Knott’s Berry Farm.

In various occasions, Jessica serves the Lord by playing gospel and worship music at churches. She believes that playing the piano at a church or anywhere else is a heavenly blessing that can reach people’s hearts. She wants to glorify God by being a faithful servant of helping others learn the wonderful art of the piano and become a blessing to many more.

OLIVIA DINH

Chino & Orange County

Olivia is a visual artist with a love of painting, drawing, sewing, and all-around creating. Through teaching art to students, she discovered a passion for telling people about the rich history and meaning in art, and how strongly our sense of beauty points us to God. She is so excited to teach students a better understanding and appreciation for art while also enabling them to become better artists themselves. She believes that creativity is a gift from God, and all students can learn more about His character through shaping their own skills.

Olivia completed high school with Biola Youth Academics and Torrey Academy and earned an Associate in Arts degree for Studio Arts at Santiago Canyon College. She has future plans to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Education through a biblical lens. High school was one of the most fundamentally shaping times in Olivia’s life, and it has inspired her to teach younger kids the wonderful principles of truth, goodness, and beauty.

TRINITY COTTRELL

OC & LA County

An inborn passion for creativity sparked Trinity Rael’s devotion to art early in her childhood; since then, her journey as a self-taught artist has allowed her to indulge in the zeal for the creative process. Upon receiving a journal from her parents, Trinity filled its pages with drawings of the fantastic characters who lived in her imagination. These leisurely doodles flourished into paintings, sculptures, crochetings, sewn dolls, murals, oil paintings, and even bronze sculptures. Over the years, she has collected over a dozen journals, all overflowing with sketches and drawings. Trinity Rael is now a working freelance artist who began her career after a family friend discovered her work on her parent’s Facebook and entered her work in a local solo art exhibition. After being chosen as artist of the month, Trinity exhibited twenty-five original pieces in the Whittier city hall at eight years old. Since then, her art has been displayed at places like the Whittier Library, Downey Theater, the W Art exhibit, and Orange County Fair. She has participated in over twenty art exhibits in both Orange County and Los Angeles. Beginning from 2012 till today she has been the youngest artist to showcase works in the adults' category in the Hillcrest Festival of Fine Arts in Whittier; winning multiple honorable mentions and second-place awards in painting and sculpture throughout her five-plus years there. 

Another notable exhibit she has participated in was the Santa Fe Springs Art Fest where she was one of five featured artists. She does commissions as well as sells her own work through exhibits and online inquiries. In 2017, Trinity was awarded two first-place awards at Fullerton’s high school district art competition, making Trinity the first student in thirty-three years to take both first-place awards for sculpting and painting. She runs her own website and sells pieces through there, art shows, and social media. Her experience includes oil painting, watercolor, polymer sculpture, oil sculpture, murals, sewing, illustrating, adobe photoshop, adobe illustrator, and most recently has been learning how to bronze casting. Through her college years, she has completed three children's books, one book cover, and has completed a mural for the City of Norwalk that can be seen from Imperial Highway in front of the city hall building.

MADELINE GRIMES

Orange County

Maddie is a freelance choreographer, director, and teacher and is thrilled to be teaching at IBAA! She graduated from Biola University with a degree in English along with completing their Torrey Honors College. She is currently pursuing an Associate's degree in Dramatic Arts at Fullerton College. Maddie has 18+ years of dance and performing experience and has always viewed performing as a unique and special way to glorify the Lord. She is excited to teach her students how to be comfortable and confident in their performance abilities and to find new ways to express themselves!

Maddie has always had a passion for performing but, when she is not on stage or in rehearsals, she can be found reading Agatha Christie mysteries or watching the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie. She loves a good cup of apple cider and never says no to a trip to Barnes and Noble!