Khia Bautista is the new principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary School for the 2021-2022 school year. Ms. Bautista grew up in Eagle Rock, a small town in the greater Los Angeles area. She began attending a Catholic school in the 3rd grade and made the conscious decision to continue her Catholic education through high school. At a young age, she knew she wanted to work in a school. She enjoyed learning and loved watching her sense of faith develop as she got older. She knew that a great deal of this was thanks to the teachers that she had growing up.
After high school, Ms. Bautista went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies while simultaneously working towards her credential in elementary education at California State University Northridge. She continued her education at Loyola Marymount University where she received her Masters of Arts in Reading Instruction as a member of the PLACE Corps.
As a product of the Catholic school system with a desire to share her faith, she was called to serve as a Catholic educator. She began her professional career in education as a Kindergarten aide at our grade school. Throughout her time at IHM, she went on to teach Transitional Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 1st grade. Now, after spending the past 8 years in the classroom, she wants to continue to grow as an educator while still having the opportunity to share her faith. She feels very blessed that she has the opportunity to do this with our IHM community and through the Onward Leaders program.