Greg Lance joined the Middle College program in Fall 2011 as the Middle College English teacher and the junior advisor. Mr. Lance taught English at Hillsdale High for 18 years. While at Hillsdale, he developed and implemented the Senior Exhibition project and designed the Social Action Academy, integrating English and social science curriculum through a service learning approach. He earned a B.A. in English from U.C. Santa Barbara, and later earned two Master's degrees from Stanford University, one in Education and the other is East Asian Studies. He was recognized by the California League of High Schools as the Educator of the Year in 2010.

Don Scatena (at Middle College since 2016) was born and raised in San Mateo County (Pacifica, CA). Currently, he lives in Half Moon Bay, and is the father of two children. Over the past 20 years, Don has served as a coach, teacher, and site-administrator in San Mateo County. Since 2007, he has been an Assistant Principal and Principal in San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD). Currently, he serves as SMUHSD Director of Student Services and Middle College Principal. He is dedicated to bringing the community college experience to as many high school students as possible. 

Jennifer Rohrbach joined the Middle College program in Fall 2016 and has been teaching with the SMUHSD for 16 years. In 2004, Jen took a job at Burlingame High School, and throughout her time there she: taught CWS, MWH, USH, EL, and Gov, served as Social Science Department Chair, and served as a member of the districts PAR Committee, Chairing and Co-Chairing the committee as it developed the SMUHSD teacher evaluation system. Her move to Middle College was intentional, as the program’s philosophy, mirrored her educational beliefs, based on years of experience in the classroom. Middle College allows Jen the freedom to wear many hats ( MC Programmer, advisor, counselor, administrator and teacher)  and to be an integral part of growing the Middle College program over the last three years for SMUHSD. She is excited to be a part of a program  that offers students another pathway to complete their high school education within the district. Jen is an avid Duck fan, as she proudly attended the University of Oregon for undergrad, and recently completed her Masters Degree in Social Justice and Admin. Credential. She is a rare Bay Area native, that is still  living in the Bay Area! Her intimate knowledge of San Mateo County provides her the ability to fuse together the values of the community, with the ever changing needs of students, into her teaching curriculum and the Middle College Program. Jen and her husband are happily raising their two children in her hometown of San Mateo.

Terence Lien joined joined the Middle College program in 2018 as the 12th grade Social Studies teacher.  Mr. Lien has served in a variety of teaching, administrative, and coaching positions both within the San Mateo Union High School District and in the South Bay over the span of 17+ years.  He has worked extensively with collegiate opportunity programs for the disadvantaged, as well at an alternative school and shelter for homeless teens. A San Francisco native, Mr. Lien is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz (BA Psychology and Economics), Stanford University (MA Education and teaching credential), and San Jose State University (MA Educational Leadership and administration credential).

Laura Kauth joined the Middle College program in Fall of 2018. Laura is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 13 years of experience working with youth in schools and nonprofit settings. She grew up in Orange County, CA and went to UCLA, graduating with a BA in Psychology. She then moved to the Bay Area to complete a Masters in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco. Laura then worked for San Francisco Unified School District and at several youth & family mental health nonprofits to gain hours toward licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She most recently worked for Edgewood Center of Children and Families doing quality assurance and training for mental health clinicians. Her passion lies in empowering youth and young adults to achieve mental, emotional & physical wellness, healthy relationships, and academic & career success. She currently lives in Half Moon Bay with her family.

Jason Letke joined the Middle College program in Fall 2019 as a Social Science teacher after spending the past 16 years at Capuchino High School. In addition to teaching Social Science at Cap, he also was an AVID teacher & coordinator for 10+ years, was the Professional Development Coordinator & spent the last five years as an instructional coach.  Prior to that, he spent three years teaching in East Palo Alto. Mr. Letke earned both his undergraduate degree & his teaching credential from San Diego State University. He lives vicariously threw his children's activities (his 15-year old daughter has a love for theater & graphic design, while his 12-year old son plays on two baseball teams) which takes up most of his free time. He also has a collection of nearly 1,000 records that he has been collecting ever since he was in college.

Melissa Poblete joined the Middle College program in 2022. She was born in Illinois, grew up in Florida, and later moved to California. She earned a bachelor's degree from Florida Atlantic University and a master's degree from the University of Florida, where she studied history, literature, and anthropology, with an emphasis on gender and the body politic, immigration and diaspora, and the formation of identity in post-colonial contexts. After teaching English as a second language in Japan, Melissa taught college prep and Advanced Placement English in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Mateo. Most of her teaching experience has been in schools built on small learning community models, like Middle College. For 11 years, she contributed to the Hillsdale High School community, fulfilling various roles: teacher, advisor, department co-chair, house leader, equity team collaborator, and professional development coordinator. Melissa is excited about teaching in the unique Middle College learning environment, where students pursue their interests and goals with individualized attention and support. Currently, Melissa lives in San Francisco, where she practices yoga, dances (contemporary, hip-hop, house), and spends time in nature with family and friends.

Alison Block joined Middle College as Program Coordinator in 2022. Alison grew up in San Mateo and graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Creative Writing. She received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Notre Dame De Namur University. She taught in Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, and most recently in San Bruno at Capuchino High School. Throughout her time at Capuchino, she taught English, as well as AVID, Publications, and College Study Skills. She served as freshman and sophomore team coordinator, English department chair, professional development coordinator, and AVID coordinator. For the last two years, she has served as co-English coordinator for SMUHSD and will continue that work this year as co-English content lead for the district. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She loves going out to restaurants and movies and spending time with family and friends.

Ashley English is a San Francisco and Bay Area native, and began her career in public education in 2001 as a social studies teacher at Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, where she taught 9th grade Geography and 12th grade American Government and Economics, at the EL, college prep, and AP levels.  It was at Mt. Eden where she began working as a counselor, and has been one ever since. Having worked at four high schools throughout the Bay Area, Ashley comes to the Middle College most recently from Piedmont High School, where she worked for 13 years, having worn many hats, such as Counseling Department chairperson, ASB advisor, and union negotiator. She earned a B.A. in Geography from Penn State University, a teaching credential from Holy Names University, and an M.A. in Education/School Counseling form San Jose State University. In addition to her work in public schools, Ashley has also worked as the College Advisor for a non-profit organization supporting low-income and disadvantaged students, and supervised student teachers in Dominican University's teaching credential program. Ashley enjoys traveling, baking, and anything having to do with her dog. She currently lives in San Francisco with her partner.