Elena is a born and raised San Diego native. Growing up in the South Bay city of Chula Vista, she fell in love with the community so much so that she decided to stay in San Diego for college. After graduating from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Sociology, Elena enrolled in Point Loma Nazarene University’s Graduate School of Education where she received her teaching credential in Social Sciences. She is currently in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at PLNU. Elena is passionate about K-12 education, social and political justice, and restorative practices in schools.

In her formative years, Elena began running cross country which sparked a love for long distance running and connecting with others through fitness. Throughout her college years, she coached high school cross country & long distance track at schools in the Chula Vista area which became a passion of hers that she hopes to continue in the future. In her spare time, Elena enjoys reading, hiking, going camping, spending time with her husband, friends, family and her two mischievous cats! She LOVES being outdoors as much as possible and making connections with people. Elena is thrilled and feels so blessed to be a part of the wonderful HTHI family.