Hi, I'm Kayla. I teach the way I wish I'd been taught.
About Kayla
Five years ago I downloaded a Spanish app before my first trip to Puerto Vallarta. Now I live here, run my own Spanish studio, and spend my days helping other adults do what I did — actually learn the language, not just collect vocabulary.
How a Portland girl ended up teaching Spanish in Mexico.
The long version
I'm originally from Portland, Oregon. In 2019 I downloaded my first Spanish app to get ready for a vacation in Puerto Vallarta, and that trip changed everything. I came home, took a summer Spanish course, and kept going — apps, music, websites, asking every Spanish-speaking person I could find what their words meant and why they said them that way.
In October 2023 I moved to PV for good. The first two years of my life here were basically nothing but Spanish. I took classes at a local school, practiced with anyone who would let me, and became — in my own words — the absolutely annoying gringa who would not stop asking questions. I'm now advanced-intermediate to advanced, and still learning every day.
Teaching was always the dream. Even as a kid I knew I wanted to do it — I also knew teachers didn't always make a great living, so I went into other fields first. Then, while I was studying Spanish at a local school, they recruited me to teach English — and very soon after, I started teaching Spanish too. One thing led to another, and now I run KayLista Spanish Studio — my own business, my own curriculum, built around how adults actually learn.
This is the dream coming true. And the best part is that I get to teach what I learned the hard way: how to make Spanish make sense to English-speaking brains.
Spanish should make sense, not just stick.
What I believe
Adults learn differently than kids do.
Most Spanish curriculum is written like it's for a high school class. Adults need explanations, patterns, and the "why" behind things — not just drills.
You should be talking, not just memorizing.
You can't speak a language you've only read. Class is mostly speaking — guided practice, real-time correction, building actual sentences out loud.
The teacher should remember being a beginner.
I learned Spanish recently enough that I still remember exactly what was hard. That's why I know what to slow down on, where students get stuck, and how to explain it in a way that clicks.
"Since Kayla recently learned Spanish herself, she totally gets the struggle and explains things in a way that actually makes sense."
— TW, June 2025
A few quick things
A little more about me.
Let's meet
If any of this sounds like you — say hola.
Fill out the placement form and we’ll write back with the right fit. We'll figure out where you are, what class fits, and whether KayLista is right for you. No pressure.