Discover Our Staff

Contact Abra: ashay@brightstarschools.org

As Community Schools Chair, Abra Shay proudly leads the founding Community Schools team at Bright Star Schools. As Chair, she sets the vision and strategy for the organization-wide transformation into Community Schools. At Bright Star Community Schools, the voices of students, families, staff, and partners direct our efforts to meet the needs of our community by connecting services and resources to the school such as medical care, mutual aid, academic programs, and more.

Prior to working at Bright Star, Abra led Strategic Partnerships at Teach For America Los Angeles where she led a team that recruited, onboarded, and placed 100+ new teachers annually in high needs schools across 18 districts. As an education consultant, she supported school leadership teams across the country to develop strategic action plans.

Abra began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in Los Angeles where she served as a founding 5th grade teacher at Endeavor College Prep, being named Gold Standard Teacher of the Year by Building Excellent Schools for achieving significant results in reading growth with her students. She went on to lead Endeavor’s 4th-6th grade campus as Campus Director.

Abra holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a Master’s in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University. A native Angeleno, Abra lives in the Valley with her partner and their young son.

Ana Martinez launched her career in education in the same district she attended the majority of her K-12 career, the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a Teach For America alumni corps member who began teaching in a large comprehensive middle school. She also served as a Dean of Students at another LAUSD middle school, where she embarked on turnaround work and grew her background with culture and systems change at her school.

In 2009, Ana transitioned to Aspire Public Schools where she continued her work as a Dean of Students and then as the Assistant Principal in their Huntington Park middle school. Her most impactful and humbling role was that of a founding Principal in South Los Angeles where she opened up an Aspire school under LAUSD's Public School Choice Model. She led that school for eight years before becoming the Chief of Staff to the Chief Schools Officer and focusing on strengthening home office communication with schools, as well as the professional development offerings for leaders.

Most recently, she served as the Chief Academic Officer and Superintendent at a charter management organization serving a large rural community in the Central Valley of California. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a master’s in education from Loyola Marymount University, and is also a Pahara fellow.

Angelina Calderón serves as the interim Vice President of Public Affairs at Bright Star Schools. In this role, she oversees three major areas of work: compliance and board governance, marketing and communications, and advocacy and public grants. 

Angelina has served Bright Star since 2015, most recently as Vice President of Outreach and Engagement. As an educator with 14 years of experience in instruction, family engagement and outreach to new families, she knows that working with families is the key to boosting student achievement.

Outside of work, Angelina is a loving aunt to five nieces and nephews, and she finds joy in puzzles and traveling.  

Ari Engelberg was the founding Board President when Stella Middle Charter Academy first opened its doors in 2003. In 2007, not long after Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy was opened and the name of the organization was changed to Bright Star Schools, he made a transition into the Executive Director role. For over a decade Ari played an instrumental role in shaping Bright Star Schools into a vibrant, kid-focused organization that is helping to close the achievement gap in Los Angeles. Ari holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology from UC Berkeley and a juris doctor and masters of business administration from UCLA. Ari has participated on a range of nonprofit boards and advisory committees, and continues to be involved in uplifting Los Angeles as a board member of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Girls Athletic Leadership School. 

Contact Brian: bmartinez@brightstarschools.org

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brian Martinez has worked in supporting students academically by bringing programs and resources to campuses throughout Los Angeles County.

Brian joined Bright Star Schools in 2023 and is currently serving as Community School Manager for Valor Academy Middle School in North Hills, where he has the opportunity to address the needs of the community that allow for informed building and growing of partnerships that will bring valuable resources to campus. Through his own experiences in education attending public schools in Los Angeles, Brian has gained immense self motivation to bring change and work to ensure all students succeed!

After transferring from Los Angeles Valley College, Brian obtained a B.A. in History & Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Educational Foundations from California State University, Los Angeles.

Brian Perry is the principal of Valor Academy Middle School, where he leads the school to create an environment where all students can see academic success, engage with their individual interests, and participate in experiences that will help them grow as people.

Previously, Brian served Valor Academy Middle School as the assistant principal of instruction and curriculum for five years, and helped bring new and exciting programs and initiatives to drive student learning. He joined Valor Academy Middle School as a fifth grade English language arts teacher in 2011.

Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Brian taught in schools in Miami, FL; New Haven, CT; and Inglewood, CA. He began his career as a high school English teacher as a Teach For America corps member. As a third grader in St. Louis, MO, Brian made the commitment to become a teacher as impactful as the ones he had encountered in his early education.

Brian holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri. 

Contact Christian: crisquez@brightstarschools.org

Christian Risquez joined the Bright Star family in October of 2023 as the Stella High Community Manager. Prior to joining our team, Christian spent the bulk of his career managing school youth programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs, summer camp programs and college and career readiness programs. Christian also teaches courses such as CPR, lifeguarding and first aid and formerly held an EMT certification. 

Beyond career life, Christian comes from a Venezuelan family, went to high school in Caracas and is very proud of his roots and having the opportunity to experience his heritage as a young person. Feel free to contact Christian with any questions. Se habla español!

Cynthia Trigueros is the principal of Rise Kohyang High School, and she leads the Tritons to achieve academic excellence and grow their unique talents so they find joy and fulfillment in higher education, career, and life.

Cynthia has served Bright Star Schools for over 15 years. She previously served as a founding biology teacher, an assistant principal, and interim principal at Rise Kohyang High School before being named principal in 2021. Cynthia was also a founding science teacher at Rise Kohyang Middle School, where she taught for nearly six years.

Cynthia holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge, a master of arts in bilingual elementary education from Loyola Marymount University as well as a master and credential in educational leadership and administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Contact Daniel: dabner@brightstarschools.org

Daniel Abner serves as Valor Academy High School’s Community Schools Manager. He is excited to continue the work together in reimagining what school can be—a place where students’ needs are met holistically. 

Before joining VAHS, Daniel served as a Student Support Specialist, where he focused on restorative justice and trauma-informed practices, leading to improved student behavior, attendance, and academic performance. Daniel’s journey in education also includes time as a Special Education Para-educator, where he worked closely with teachers, families, and students to develop and monitor IEPs, ensuring each student received the personalized support they needed to thrive. In the process, he also supported multilingual learners, adapting instruction to meet their unique language and academic needs. Earlier in his career, Daniel also served as an After School Program Educator, where he created a positive, engaging environment that fostered both learning and growth. 

Throughout his time in education, Daniel has been dedicated to building inclusive, supportive spaces where all students are empowered to reach their full potential. 

Darryl Garris is the principal for Stella High Charter Academy, and he leads the school to ensure all Eagles achieve academic excellence and grow their unique talents so they find joy and fulfillment in higher education, career, and life.

Previously, Darryl served Bright Star Schools as principal of Stella Middle Charter Academy (Grades 5-6) and as assistant principal of Stella Middle Charter Academy. Darryl also taught pre-algebra, algebra readiness, and Algebra 1 at Stella Middle Charter Academy and Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy.

Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Darryl was a teacher at Dorsey High School as a Teach For America corps member.

Darryl holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics from UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources. He also holds a master’s degree in urban education, a master’s degree in school administration, and a certificate in charter school leadership from Loyola Marymount University's School of Education.