OUR TEAM
ALONE WE CAN DO SO LITTLE
TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH
Meet The Team
Lesya Merena
Co-Founder
Entrepreneur and a proud mom to her elementary-age daughter. Lesya holds a bachelor of science in finance from DePaul University. Lesya has left her career in finance in 2014 to start her first company and has been in education industry ever since.
Olga Davis
Co-Founder
Olga holds a bachelor of science in business administration and an MBA. She is also a CFP® professional. She has been volunteering with children for years before she decided to leave her career in finance to working with kids full time via the company she co-founded with Lesya.
Ian Corse
Program Coordinator
As an advocate for hands-on experiences that incite engagement and exploration, Ian has worked with children of all ages for over a decade, developing youth programming in a variety of summer camps and after-school activities. He is very excited to be providing the opportunity for kids to discover their love of science!
Laura Golian
Program Coordinator
Laura has a passion for making learning accessible and enjoyable. She helped design and facilitate different community-based education programs for many years, giving her insight into both sides of the process. Her interest in education and penchant for adventure led her to Taiwan, where she spent two years teaching English to elementary-aged students.
Andreas Ornelas
Program Coordinator
Texas born through and through, Andreas is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, holding a degree in Political Science. True to his roots he finds joy in the little things - a good book, good weather, good food, and good company. Early in his career, Andreas found a passion creating opportunities for children to develop new skills and knowledge.
Riley Schornak
Program Coordinator
Andreas, a Texas native and Political Science graduate from the University of Arkansas, enjoys life’s simple pleasures—books, food, weather, and company. He began his career bringing after-school programs to Chicago schools and remains passionate about creating fun, enriching opportunities for kids to learn and grow.
Ashley O'Donnell
Program Coordinator
Meet Ashley, a Northwest Indiana native and IU Northwest grad. With over 5 years of experience coordinating after-school programs across CPS and CICS, she’s passionate about student engagement and community enrichment. A mentor to college-bound CPS students, Ashley brings her love of art, music, and literature to her work—and is excited to support South Side scholars through iCook After School.
Michelle Przewoznik
HR Coordinator
Michelle Przewoznik values holistic health and loves sharing nourishing meals. After seeing how food impacted her own well-being, she studied nutrition and health coaching to help others do the same. With a background in restaurant hospitality, she brings warmth and positivity to every space. At iCook After School, Michelle is excited to inspire kids and families to enjoy cooking and embrace healthy habits.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
Our Instructors are experienced educators who are enthusiastic and passionate about teaching, technology and science. They come from different walks of life but have something in common: they have effective classroom management skills, energetic personalities and ability to engage children in the lesson plan and keep them engaged during the lesson. Punctuality and reliability are core qualities all our instructors posses. We complete full background screening for all of our instructors prior to their start and provide ongoing training and support.