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 I'll write back personally. We'll figure out where you are, what class fits, and whether KayLista is right for you. No pressure.