Meet Our Staff

Aleah Ruiz (District School Social Worker)Aleah Ruiz (District School Social Worker)
Aleah Ruiz celebrated her 7th year as an EAPrep employee and 2nd year as the EAPrep school social worker supporting the district at both Jain Lane and MLK campuses. Aleah was born and raised in Austin, Texas and is also the proud graduate of a local charter high school. She practiced as a midwife for five years before deciding to enroll in Texas State University in 2009 to become a social worker. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work in 2011 and her Master of Social Work in 2013. Aleah lives and works in the east side of Austin and is dedicated to serving the families of EAPrep and the East Austin community. She loves to travel, spend time with her family and animals, listen to music and write in her spare time.

School social workers play a unique role in the schools as they work with school staff, students, families and community agencies in removing barriers to education. They provide comprehensive school social work services to parents, students and school staff, addressing barriers that limit a student from receiving the full benefit of their educational experience. Additionally they respond to referrals from school administration, parents, teachers, the Student Support Services team, the Special Education Committee and others by providing direct services and by assisting families in accessing appropriate school and community resources.

Aleah is dedicated to empowering every student to achieve academic success, personal and social growth, wellness, and college and career exploration. She will actively strive to bring additional resources to the EAPrep community and work to advocate for comprehensive student and family success.

She can be reached at aruiz@eaprep.org or at 512.287.5053 (office) or 512.704.4691 (cell).


Kristel Sans (District CEIS and ARD Facilitator)Kristel Sans (District CEIS and ARD Facilitator)
East Austin College Prep is proud to have Ms. Sans again for the third year in a row. Ms. Sans has served the community as the elementary school counselor. This year, she will be serving EAPrep as the district CEIS and ARD Facilitator.

Ms. Sans received her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University in educational psychology and special education in 2010. Since graduating, she proudly worked as a 4th-grade and special education teacher for four years in Houston. Ms. Sans holds six professional educator certifications in the state of Texas: Early Childhood-6th grade, 4th grade-8th grade, Special Education, Gifted and Talented, English Second Language, and School Counselor. While working on her undergraduate program, she made the decision to work alongside children and families in the field of school counseling. Ms. Sans was honored her Master of Education in school counseling from Lamar University in 2016. Graduate school allowed her the opportunity to pair with other professional school counselors to advocate for diverse 21st century student learner environments.

In her free time, Ms. Sans enjoys the great outdoors, biking, kayaking, swimming, yoga and gardening in her home in Austin. She has volunteered with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society which is a non-profit marine conservation organization. Additionally, she takes pleasure in traveling the world. One of her favorite places is Southeast Asia. Ms. Sans enjoys reading, painting, writing, learning and spending quality time with her family in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ms. Sans is excited to be serving students and teachers district wide. Her new role as RTI/ARD facilitator will include working on the social/emotional and academic achievement of all students, while supporting both teachers and parents of EAPrep. Ms. Sans can be reached by email at ksans@eaprep.org or phone at 512.287.5072.


Elementary School (Southwest Key campus)

Johanna Trevino (Student Advisor and 504 Coordinator)Johanna Trevino (Student Advisor and 504 Coordinator)
As a Student Support Counselor at EAPrep, Ms. Trevino provides counseling services at the Elementary School (Southwest Key campus). She conducts individual/group counseling, student mediations and social skills trainings for students. She ensures all students receive the social, emotional, and academic support needed to be successful and well-adjusted individuals.

She has provided counseling services in the South Texas community. She was a student therapist at Kleberg Family Counseling in Kingsville, Texas. During her time as a student therapist, she provided individual counseling services to adults and children.

In her three years with EAPrep, she has provided counseling and support services to students and their families, Ms. Trevino has lead a peer mediation club for students and is currently serving EAPrep's Positive Behavior Interventions/Support and Student Support committees.

She is originally from Falfurrias, Texas. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and sociology from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2008. After completing her clinical practicum and thesis in 2011, she obtained her Master of Science in psychology from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Ms. Trevino is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor-Intern and is completing her clinical counseling supervision to obtain full certification as Licensed Professional Counselor.

She can be reached at jtrevino@eaprep.org or at 512.287.5050


Secondary School (MLK campus)

Jenice Garza (School Counselor and LPC-I)Jenice Garza (School Counselor and LPC-I)
Ms. Garza has been with EAPrep for four years. Her favorite aspect of counseling is helping students with post-secondary planning – particularly exploring college and career options and assisting students and parents in making decisions about their futures. In addition to her role as lead counselor, Ms. Garza serves as the AP and PSAT coordinator.

Originally from McAllen, Texas, she earned her bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies in elementary education from the University of Texas – Pan American. She began her career in teaching elementary and special education in South Texas. After being in the classroom for a few years, she completed her Master of Science in counseling and development from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. She has also served as a middle and high school counselor, focusing on personal, social, and college and career readiness for over five years.

In her spare time, Ms. Garza enjoys spending time with family, friends and her two pets: Einstein, a puggle, and Evie, a blue point Siamese.

Ms. Garza is assigned to students whose last name begins with M-Z in the 6th-12th grades. She can be reached at 512.287.5050 or at jgarza@eaprep.org


Jessica Garcia (School Counselor)Jessica Garcia (School Counselor)
Ms. Garcia is originally from the Rio Grande Valley (Edinburg). Before coming to EAPrep, she had over 10 years of experience in higher education where she worked closely with students in preparing them for the post-secondary education. Ms. Garcia graduated from Texas Southern University in Houston and received her Bachelor of Science in biology with a minor in chemistry. She later earned her Master of Education in counseling and guidance from the University of Texas – Pan American in Edinburg.

Ms. Garcia's role as school counselor is to help students achieve their personal/social and academic goals, as well as provide support for the parents and teachers. She is a member of the American School Counselors Association and enjoys working with a wonderful team of caring professionals whose mission is to deliver a comprehensive counseling program that helps all students understand themselves better and reach their potential.

Ms. Garcia is assigned to students whose last name begins with A-L in the 6th-12th grades. She is fluent in Spanish and can be reached at jegarcia@eaprep.org or at 512.287.5066