Intiwasi SPRING BREAK is April 10-14!Intiwasi SPRING BREAK is April 10-14! Signup for Spring Camp Now!
The premier Spanish immersion school of Los Angeles
Intiwasi is a Spanish immersion school in Los Angeles that is committed to offering high quality bilingual education and strives to create safe nurturing spaces where children can grow and find success.
"A magnificent school. Amazing Spanish immersion program. My boys couldn't be happier!"
— Gerald F.
Achieving great success through bilingual education.
Bilingualism is an experience that shapes our brain for a lifetime. Research has shown that students who can speak and write in multiple languages outperform their monolingual peers. The benefits of early immersion in a second language are too many to list! Here are just a few.
- Critical thinking
- Linguistic proficiency
- Intercultural understanding
- Increased intelligence
- Problem-solving capacity
- Mental flexibility
Personalized education
Tailored to the specific needs of each child
Our learning approach
Our eclectic approach to education promotes growth both academically and personally
Small class sizes
Giving your child the attention they need
Our school
A home away from home
Our Programs
Intiwasi offers a wide variety of Spanish immersion programs for children ages 2 up to 8 years old. We invite you to explore all the options we offer.
Our team
Meet our experienced team of educators
At Intiwasi we are proud of our diverse group of teachers that have come together from all around the world to help children learn, grow and succeed.
Karina Torres
Executive Director and Board President
Karina was born in San Bernardino, California to Peruvian parents. As a toddler, she moved to Lima, Peru. That’s where she attended an English immersion school, becoming familiar with bilingual education and what it takes to be fully bilingual. Karina moved to Austin, Texas where she attended college, earning a degree in Anthropological Archeology and Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Initially, Karina dreamed of being an archeologist, a dream that took her to discover many different cultures and several countries throughout Central and South America. In 2008, Karina moved back to Lima, where she taught English to both children and adults. Slowly, Karina discovered her new passion: languages and teaching. This led her to enroll in a master’s program in Applied Linguistics specializing in second language instruction. In Peru, Karina worked in several bilingual programs as an English teacher. In 2010, Karina moved back to the U.S. and started working as an ESL instructor at the University of California, Bakersfield, and taught classes for families that just moved to the United States as well as ESL students at California State University, Bakersfield. In 2011, she moved to Los Angeles and continued teaching in many unique settings, including home tutoring, home school, and after-school enrichment programs. In 2012, she co-founded Kallpachay, a local Spanish immersion program, and summer camp. In 2015, a change in vision led her to establish Yachaywasi, a local Spanish immersion preschool, and OLA Spanish Immersion. During this time, she completed a certification in Advanced Core Early Childhood Education from UCLA Extension and a certificate from MIT in Launching Innovations in Schools. In 2019 she helped found Intiwasi, a non-profit organization with the vision of offering quality and affordable bilingual education to all members of our community.Karla Marroquin
Operations Director
Karla is originally from El Salvador. She moved to Los Angeles when she was 12 years old and has lived in this wonderful city ever since. She started working at our sister school Yachaywasi, in 2015 as a Teacher’s Assistant while still in high school. Since then Karla has worked her way up into many different positions. When Intiwasi opened its doors in October 2020, Karla was eager to jump into the new project, becoming a vital part of our school. In 2019, Karla graduated from El Camino College with an AA in Psychology. She is now working toward a BA in education and Psychology. Karla is passionate about learning and always has a great attitude toward new challenges. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, hanging out with friends and family, and listening to music.Diana Curi
Lead Elementary Teacher & Behavioral Therapist
Ms. Diana Curi is from Cartagena, Colombia. Her love of education began in 1996 during a high school program called M.T.C.A. (Multicultural Teacher Career Academy) which ignited her passion for the Early Childhood Development field. She started her career in 2002. In 2015 she branched out to ABA and Early Intervention to assist children with global developmental delays. As a mother of three amazing children, in her words, she knows "the power of compassion and love." She also believes that children learn through play and will thrive with proper guidance including: positive discipline, consistency and following through while embracing their individuality.
Our wall of love
See what parents are saying about us
"My 3 year old daughter started Intiwasi 2 months ago and we couldn't be happier!! The school is beautiful and all the teachers and staff are super sweet and caring. Coming from a multi-cultural house, I really appreciate the diversity that Intiwasi's environment offers both in term of students and of staff ( The staff is from all over Latin America + Spain and they are 100% native Spanish speakers.)
They offer an after school program and a magnificent varied menu (heavily rooted in Peruvian food - talking to all foodies out there ;)). They also offer enriching activities such as Yoga, Music Classes, Gardening (and will soon be starting Dance and PE).
My daughter has learned so much in her little time there and she absolutely loves it! My husband and I are so so grateful we found such a wonderful place - Gracias Intiwasi!!"
"We are currently enrolled in the Spanish Immersion learning pod program, and I can't rave enough about it and how grateful I am to have found it. The truth is I didn't realize how depressed my 1st grader really was from being stuck at home 'distance learning' by herself for so long until I saw the 100% improvement in her overall mood after just one day at Intiwasi. We were also so far behind and n