Who We Are

Annie Holub
Founder/Director

I have been teaching in Tucson since 2003. From 2013-2023 I taught English at City High School in downtown Tucson. From 2010-2013, I taught Writing and Literature at Esperero Canyon Middle School. Currently, I am teaching online for Pima Community College.

Even in a progressive, alternative school like City High, I saw the need for a different way to do school. So many kids just need a different space, a different approach, a different structure. My own son has ADHD and is autistic with a PDA profile. I recognized that he needed a different kind of school that allows for autonomy and personalized learning.

I was a member of the 2024 ASU Prep Microschool Fellowship, and am currently a member of the VELA Founders Network, the KaiPod Founders Network, and recently completed a Graduate Certificate program in Autism Spectrum Disorders through Arizona State University. Desert Dragon Learning Community is also a member of the National Microschooling Center.

I am committed to ensuring that Desert Dragon is a safe, flexible space for neurodivergent adolescents with ASD, ADHD, PDA, sensory challenges, and other learning differences.

We are a registered 501c(3) nonprofit organization.

I am a proud Tucson native who strongly values the wellbeing of his immediate and broader communities. A large portion of my identity is constructed by my own specific brand of neurodivergency characterized by a very generous serving of ADHD, or as my demand-avoidant brain prefers to call it, “Selective Attention Polarity.”  Growing up as a neuro-spicy child and into a radical-neuro-liberated adult enables me to empathize with my students and the difficulties they face on a daily basis— navigating a world that almost exclusively accommodates the needs of a society considered “neurotypical.” 

Prior to joining forces with Desert Dragon, I graduated from the University of Arizona double majoring in History and Latin American Studies with a Minor in Spanish. During my time as a student, I formed and led Frontera Aid Collective, a humanitarian aid organization that provided life saving aid to hundreds of people in the US-Mexico borderlands. In 2022, FAC was featured in an Al Jazeera documentary detailing their search and rescue operations and water drops. 

After graduation, I taught social studies and Spanish at a local high school. During my time there, I organized and coached the school’s first chess club, leading the team to victory in multiple district-wide tournaments. 

When I am not at Desert Dragon, I practice and compete in medieval inspired armored combat with the Tucson Hellhounds. I am also an avid chess player and play every day.