Level Up Learning: Building Digital & ESL Skills, LBC Style

Nicole Lopez has 31 years of experience in Long Beach Unified School District and is in her fourth year as Principal at Long Beach School for Adults. Her work focuses on adult learner success while intentionally building a strong sense of community for both staff and students. She often reflects that if she had known earlier what she knows now about adult education, she would have been an ESL teacher and believes she truly has the best job in education!

Lisa Busch is in her 32nd year of teaching, her 3rd at the Long Beach School for Adults as the HiSET Lead.  She has taught both History and Psychology at the high school level, as well as various Psychology courses at the local community college.  She holds both a BA and MA in Psychology and her credential in Social Science.  She presented with her cohort at the 2025 TDLS.

Betzy Macchia has over 23 years of test administration experience, all at Long Beach School for Adults. She began in 1998 as a bilingual college aide proctoring the GED exam and helped lead the transition to the HiSET in 2014, when LBSA became the first HiSET testing center in California. She holds a Liberal Arts Multiple Subject Credential, a Psychology minor, and a BCLAD credential. She considers adult education her professional home.

Sara Nickles is in her 20th year of teaching ESL & currently serves as ESL Lead Teacher at LBSA. She has taught at the university, community college, & adult education levels & holds an M.A. in Linguistics and a Graduate Certificate in TESOL. This is her 2nd time presenting at TDLS. She has also presented at the EL Civics Conference, CASAS Summer Institute, CCAE Conference, & an OTAN Tech Talk. Outside of work, she tries to stay relevant with her 2 teenagers by learning all the Gen Alpha Slang.