Staff Spotlight: Ingrid Moon
Ingrid Moon is the Upper School’s Biology and IB Physics facilitator, and a NASA Endeavor Distinguished STEM Educator. In addition to academic content and skills in the sciences that prepare learners for college, Ingrid develops projects and curricula that help young people build life skills for the workforce.
Ingrid’s background is in technology management, with over 20 years developing entertainment and education technologies for Disney, Acura, Toyota, Sony, and more. She brings this experience to the classroom in how she designs lessons around technology to ensure learners have the skills they need for the 21st Century workforce.
Ingrid’s first exposure as an educator began as a math tutor in middle school and on into college. She spent three summers as a unit leader at Camp Menzies Girl Scout Camp in the High Sierras, where she led girls on life-changing high adventure courses. “That was the best job I ever had, even at $1.20 an hour.” She also taught professional/technical courses and career development at Art Institute of California, Hollywood, and has written FAA-certified instruction for pilots transitioning to MD-80 and A320 class commercial aircraft. She has taught electronics, computer science and programming, and other STEM skills for grades K-5. Her love of working with children is what brought her to iLEAD and a career in STEM education.
For fun, Ingrid loves the outdoors and nature. She has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and other fabulous mountains, loves whitewater rafting and cycling, and has participated in several triathlons. She often tells stories about squirrels, as she is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. She has also worked closely with and cared for a mountain lion and a coyote. So don’t be surprised if you see her talking to bugs or crows in the quad, or rushing to save small mammals from “human disaster.”
As a lifelong learner, Ingrid has a history of pursuing degrees. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Broadcasting and Film from Boston University, with minors in Physics and Anthropology. She earned her MBA at Pepperdine while pregnant with her son. Later, she earned a Master of Science in Education, specializing in Instructional Systems Technology. She has her teaching credential and completed a certification in STEM Leadership with the NASA Endeavor program through Columbia Teachers College. Her husband often teases her about when she will get her Ph.D. out of the way.
Ingrid loves the educational and social-emotional philosophies that drive the iLEAD Schools, and cherishes the relationships she builds with her learners while engaging in fun, real-world projects.
