Ashitha Govardhan / ಆಶಿತಾ ಗೋವರ್ಧನ್
Principal
Namaskara, I am from Kodagu and living in USA from 2006. I live with my 2 amazing children and caring husband. I believe in building strong, good community and help each other. I have been serving Kannada community from past 15 yrs in different roles and responsibilities.
I worked as a director in Preschool and enjoy being with children.Teaching Kannada is my passion and has been serving Kannada Kali as a teacher from past 6 yrs in California.
Shivabasava Komaranalli / ಶಿವಬಸವ ಕೋಮರನಳ್ಳಿ
Vice Principal
Namaskara, I am from Davangere and living in the USA from 2015. I live with 2 beautiful jems(Son and Daughter) and with the best friend/wife Vinutha.
I strongly believe in building strong networking, serving the community above self, helping others, go big and win big, giving back to the community.
My passion is to teach Kannada, volunteering, spending time with kids,family and friends.
Mamatha Shankar/ ಮಮತಾ ಶಂಕರ್
Teacher
Namaskara,
I am from namma Bengalooru, now in namma Austin from 2005 with my husband and 2 boys.
I work at a software company and love to volunteer as time permits. I love being with kids, playing and making them learn new things that aligns with our language and culture.
Every kid has their own strengths, we need to see it. It is so fun to learn with them and from them.
Shashikiran / ಶಶಿ ಕಿರಣ್
Teacher
Namaskara,
I am from Bangalore and have been part of AKS family since 2010.
I am teaching since 2018, when Kannada Kali initiative started in Austin. I love writing and have penned Kannada scripts/poems for various AKS initiatives. Would love to volunteer and contribute for any namma Kannada initiatives.
Smitha Bapu / ಸ್ಮಿತಾ ಬಾಪು
Teacher
I am from Bangalore residing in Austin from 2006 and have been a part of AKS since 2010. I have been teaching Kannada Kali since last semester. I have done my MBA in Human Resources and currently working as a HR Manager. My interests include playing Veena, volleyball, listening to music. I love compering and have compered in multiple events.
Shishira Arun Kumar / ಶಿಶಿರ ಅರುಣ್ ಕುಮಾರ್
Teacher
I am from Mysuru and have been in Austin since 2018. I have been a part of the AKS family and have been teaching in Kannada Kali since then.
After coming to Austin, I have completed my Masters in Computer Science. In my free time, I like to travel, play board games, and listen to music. My family includes my husband, Bharath Shivashankar.
Manjushree Hegde/ಮಂಜುಶ್ರೀ ಹೆಗಡೆ
Teacher
I am from Sirsi, India. We recently moved to Austin. I live with my husband and my three-year-old toddler. I work as a board-certified behavior analyst/ health care professional who treats kids with autism and other development disabilities. I come from literature family back in India. That motivated me to volunteer as a teacher in kannada kali. My hobby is to sing, travel and playing with my son.
Prathibha Gowda/ಪ್ರತಿಭಾ ಗೌಡ
Teacher
Namaskara,
I am from Bangalore. Hold Master degree in Computer Science. Live in USA since 2001. Moved from Bay Area to Austin in 2015 with my husband, son, and daughter.
I worked in software industry for many years and now dedicating time to community work. I have been teaching for disadvantaged kids for many years. I work as substitute teacher and volunteer teacher at elementary schools.
I started my community service at AKS in January 2022. I enjoy teaching kannada for our little ones.
My motto is to help people who are in need. I like to travel, spend time with family and friends. My hobbies includes art, craft, interior decoration, cooking and gardening.
Chaithanya Shashidharan/ ಚೈತನ್ಯ ಶಶಿಧರನ್
Teacher
Namaskara,
I have been teaching in Kannada Kali for over 2 years. I love teaching the wonderful kids about our language and culture. Apart from teaching at Kannada Kali, I have been a substitute teacher in a private school for last 5 years.
In my free time, I like reading books, playing board games with my kids and hiking.
My family includes my husband Prashanth and my two sons Prajwal and Rohan.
Jaya Shankarachar / ಜಯ ಶಂಕರಾಚಾರ್
Teacher
Namaskara,
I am Jayalakshmi Shankarachar and I was born and raised in Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district. I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I have been in Austin since 2006 and have been working as a software engineer. My family comprises of my spouse and two kids and a few good friends, in Austin.
I was teaching kannada kali in 2019-2020, before we went virtual. But have started to volunteer to teach kannada kali this semester from Jan 2022 again.
I am interested in music, reading, cooking and gardening in my spare time.