In Perfect Fashion: Meet Yizel Estrada-Ponce

By Klein ISD

November 19^th, 2025

For Klein Cain High School Fashion Design teacher Yizel Estrada-Ponce, there’s never been a doubt—Klein ISD is home.

In 2005, Ms. Estrada-Ponce’s family moved from California to Klein, where she attended Kohrville Elementary, Krimmel Intermediate, and Klein Oak High School. At Krimmel, she discovered her love for the arts and joined the theatre program. As she continued her journey in theatre through high school, she also discovered her other passion: costuming.

Graduating from Klein Oak in 2014, Ms. Estrada-Ponce went on to study theatre at Sam Houston State University, with her sights set on returning to the district after college to enrich the lives of future students.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher in kindergarten. When I got to middle school, I knew that I wanted to teach secondary school, and when I got to high school, that solidified it for me,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce said. “I’ve always known what I wanted to do, and I knew I wanted to come back to Klein.”

While she knew she wanted to come back to Klein ISD as a theatre director, her path was not a straight line. Keeping in contact with her high school mentor and theatre teacher, Mr. Matt Robinson, she learned about the possibilities in Klein and was encouraged to cast a wide net when applying to teaching positions.

“Mr. Robinson has guided me, inspired me, and kept me on track in life! I would not be who I am today without him,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce said. “Aside from being a phenomenal educator and director, he has been a great mentor. I’ve learned so many life skills through his theatre lessons and have been supported by him in many ways. Through my high school heartbreaks, to navigating college, becoming a mother, teacher, and director, he has always been there for me!”

2012- Mr. Robinson and Ms. Estrada-Ponce in the Klein Oak Black Box

When the opportunity presented itself in 2019, Ms. Estrada-Ponce jumped at the chance to work alongside her mentors, Mr. Robinson and Mr. Pruitt, in the Klein Cain Theatre department.

Known as the “Dream Team,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce, Mr. Robinson, and Mr. Pruitt came together to make the theatre program at Klein Cain a success. After a few years in the theatre department, Ms. Estrada-Ponce was called on to use her love for costuming to teach another course.

“Teaching Fashion Design just happened by chance,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce said. “The Fashion Design position became available, and with my background in costuming and design, they asked if I wanted to do it, and I agreed! The first thing I asked was if I could still direct after school, and they were on board with it!”

In Perfect Fashion: Meet Yizel Estrada-Ponce

For Ms. Estrada-Ponce, her mentors’ commitment to her and her classmates’ education is something that drives her in her career now. Whether in the theatre or her Fashion Design class, she applies their teaching methods.

“One thing I learned from Mr. Robinson is that we shouldn’t just teach the subject, we teach life skills through the subject,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce said. “I’ve always kept that in mind. I’m not going to be upset if they don’t memorize all the fashion laws, but as long as they've learned a life skill, I’m happy.”

Coming from a creative family, Ms. Estrada-Ponce has extensive experience in the arts. Her mom and dad met in high school band, and always supported her efforts in theatre. In her family, the creativity doesn’t stop there. Every day, she has the opportunity to work with her younger siblings.

Both her younger brother and sister are part of the Klein Cain Theatre, where she directs after school. While her youngest sister isn’t at Cain yet, she is also involved in theatre at her school, under the direction of Ms. Estrada-Ponce’s former teacher, Mr. Henjum.

“I feel like all of this is a dream,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce said. “With our age gap, I never would've imagined that my siblings would have the opportunity to be taught by teachers who made such a big impact on my life.”

Ms. Estrada-Ponce, her sister Isabel, and brother Alex.

Ms. Estrada-Ponce's youngest sister Maribel.

With such certainty about what she wanted out of life, Ms. Estrada-Ponce often ponders what her life would have been like without her mentors. She notes that being given the opportunity and encouragement to explore her passions helped push her to where she is now.

As she has come this far in her journey, she shares some advice to those who are also mapping out their futures.

“Networking is the biggest thing, and be a positive person, be someone that people enjoy being around,” Ms. Estrada-Ponce said. “Your skills and the things you’ll gain through training are important, but being a good person is where it all starts. Make sure to develop good study skills while you’re still in school. Also, get involved. Get involved with something. Surround yourself with people who share your interests and passions. I believe that the fine arts play a significant role in education. We need the arts. Creativity is so important for everybody.”

We’re fortunate to have homegrown teachers in Klein ISD like Ms. Estrada-Ponce. Her commitment to excellence and the way she shares her talents with students are truly admirable. Thank you, Ms. Estrada-Ponce, for all you do.