Finley Balma
Ms. Balma is from a snowy mountain town in Colorado! Growing up, she read tons of books, started her own small business, and developed a love for the outdoors!
After graduating from high school Ms. Balma moved to Santa Barbara where she attended Westmont College. During her time in college she studied abroad in Spain. This inspired Ms.Balma’s love of travel which has taken her to special places, most recently Vietnam.
After college Ms. Balma worked for a number of years at a non-profit that offered microloans and self-employment training. She then returned to Colorado and worked at the Denver Housing Authority.
Those other jobs were great, but nothing like being a teacher! Ms. Balma returned to CA to get her Masters at UCSB. During this time she was lucky enough to teach at Isla Vista. She has been at IV ever since! The staff and students at Isla Vista are the absolute BEST!
Nancy Ingraham
Ms. Ingraham grew up in the seaside town of Seal Beach, CA. As a child, she and her family enjoyed weekends at the beach and summers on Catalina Island. Sticking with her love of the beach, Ms. Ingraham attended Cal State Long Beach where she earned her degree in Communication.
As Ms. Ingraham wraps up her teaching career of 31 years, she is grateful for her wonderful students and families, and honored to be part of the most amazing staff at Isla Vista School.
When not teaching, Ms. Ingraham enjoys reading, riding her bike, hiking, walking her dogs, camping, spending time with her husband, and traveling anywhere and everywhere in the world.
Margie Ryckman
Born in Maryland, but a Santa Barbara transplant at six years old, Mrs. Ryckman was so shy in elementary school that if an adult even spoke to her, she’d burst out in tears. In junior high, though, Mrs. Ryckman found a friend in her pony, Goldilocks. She was able to earn money to buy Goldilocks by babysitting. In high school, Mrs.. Ryckman continued to branch out- she was a member of the track and field team, participated in plays, and worked at an ice cream shop.
Mrs. Ryckman loved learning about weather and natural disasters during her studies at UCSB, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in geography. During a field trip to Death Valley, Ms. Ryckman saw a rattlesnake and found a million year old fossil.
Mrs. Ryckman loves working at IV School because the staff works together and cares for each other as a family.
Mr. and Mrs. Ryckman met when they were 16 and 15, respectively. Had they met one year earlier, they could have sung, “You are Sixteen Going on 17.” They have three children, two dogs, and two cats. And sometimes they have foster kittens. Mrs. Ryckman loves photography, reading, baking, camping, and walking on the beach.