Dessa Nockels began her education in Stockton, CA, and earned her degree from the University of the Pacific. After completing her student teaching at the American School Foundation in Mexico City, she returned to California to teach elementary school in Manteca. Her career then took her to Incline Village, Nevada, where she served as a middle school teacher and ski instructor. In 1998, Dessa joined One to One, which later became Julian Charter School in 2000. She then relocated to San Diego to support K-12 home study students.

Educating children has been a lifelong passion for her, starting with teaching her younger siblings and the neighborhood kids by running a summer school in her backyard—much to the delight of all the parents on the block. She learned of personalized learning during her college years and has always been a proponent of individualized instruction.

Since 1999, she has worked for JCS as an Educational Facilitator, delighting in serving students across Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties. Currently, she enjoys working with TK through 8th grade homeschooled students at Cedar Cove.