Alexa Sanchez, Lower School teacher here at Maranatha since 2021, attended MCA from PreK through senior year in 2018.

When reflecting on some of her favorite memories from her time at Maranatha, Alexa said, “[...] all the different events that we had like Senior Day Away, and Prom, and just all the different fun events that I feel like our class grew a lot together and then being able to grow such strong relationships with teachers too.”

Alexa talked about how most high school students never get a chance to form close connections with their teachers like you do at Maranatha. At Maranatha, all students are supported.

Alexa believes that Maranatha’s greatest strength is creating space for students to cultivate relationships and build life upon a biblical foundation. “[...] our biblical foundation, I think incorporating that into all of the classes [...] it’s definitely the reason I’m so strong in my faith now. [...] it’s nice to have it more than just at church.”

Alexa also made sure to make full use of her time at Maranatha, where she was involved in many in-house programs and groups, such as the Associate of Arts program and the National Honor Society, as well as being a part of soccer and track and field.

Having grown up in Maranatha and now working here since graduating from the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, Alexa knows MCA's ins and outs. She has grown to appreciate how safe the campus is and how much biblical truth is really taught across all subject areas.

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I remember in my Bible class, Ms. Larson would put on different glasses and she would ask us questions from a different perspective of someone who didn’t believe in God and would ask us really deep questions.

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Alexa shared that this really prepared her not just to own her faith but also to defend it as well.

Looking to the future, Alexa loves where she is and sees herself continuing to be deeply involved at MCA. “I just really love being here, and I see myself [going forward] being at Maranatha."

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It’s just always felt like home, and it still feels like home.

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Alexa laughed about how cool it is that her once 1st-grade teacher, Mrs. Zappia, also an alum of Maranatha, is now her coworker. “[...] now we are coworkers, so that’s super fun!”