Montserrat Caballero

Being a Spanish native, I attended university and earned my PhD, in Molecular Virology,  in Spain. I have conducted scientific research work on gene therapy at Duke University, as well as stem cell and tissue engineering at both UNC-Chapel Hill and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

My love for science is what propelled me to further my research in the United States. My passion for children, education, and social equality led me to my involvement with the Latino community since the very moment of my arrival in Durham, back in 1998. Since my first time being a volunteer at 16 years old, with a group home for abused children; I sought to always find a way to work with children and families in a variety of environments, and situations. As the leader of the first Latino girl scout troop in the county, I came into contact with the community of “El Buen Pastor” church where I started programs for children and families. While being the director of both child and youth programs at the church, I was involved in a project led by a volunteer from St. Philip's Episcopal Church. The project was to teach English to the Latino adult community at El Buen Pastor. This project soon became the LEAP we all know and love. I served as a member of the board for LEAP from 2012 to 2015, and I became a volunteer assistant and then a lead Preschool teacher. I have seen LEAP sprout from its roots and flourish. I am honored to be a teacher at “Nuestra Escuelita”, where I can share my unique background, expertise and a passion for childhood and education. I love seeing children learn and grow up as they prepare for the world that awaits them.