Originally published on November 25, 2015

Horse trainer and marathoner dashes into the history department

Andrea Struve, history teacher

What are some of your hobbies/interests?

I train horses. I couldn’t afford to ride horses, because it’s really expensive, so I became friends with a barn owner when I was in high school. They ended up teaching me how to train and give lessons, so I’ve been doing it since high school. I got to ride every weekend and relax. I play the harp too. I started playing when I was in first grade, and have been playing ever since. I play a petite grand concerto harp right now. I also started running a lot my sophomore year of high school and just kept going from there. I did my first half marathon when I was a freshman in college, and fell in love with it. I’ve run a lot since then. I think I’ve run eight half marathons by now. Being in track and field in high school didn’t work out with my schedule, because after school was always chamber choir, but running is fun. It clears your head.

What were your favorite subjects in school?

“I think I’ve run eight half marathons by now.”

I loved history. I majored in history in college, but I also loved English. I loved algebra and trigonometry, and I loved chemistry; I took chemistry in college instead of a normal biological science. I found a connection with all of those classes and teachers, and they just made me really passionate about the subject. There wasn’t a lot that I didn’t like. I’m a pretty big academic.

What is one thing you would change about your high school experience?

I was really shy my freshman and sophomore years of high school, and so I probably would have broken out of my shell earlier than that. I became a lot more confident when I started running in my sophomore year. I also became a leader of three different clubs and other things like that, and decided to be open to more experiences and people. It was a good experience.

If you could teach another subject for a day, what would it be?

I kind of want to try them all. I think it would be awesome to be able to try them all. I don’t know how awesome of a math teacher I would be, or how awesome of a PE or science or English teacher, but I think it would be fun to see how the different subjects teach.

– By Alyssa Poon and Clarissa Wan

Lifelong soccer lover makes her escape with athletics

Anne Guina, English teacher

What are some of your hobbies/interests?

I love soccer. I started playing when I was really young, I think I was four or five. I played at USF, and I still play in adult leagues here. I went to Brazil for the World Cup, not this past summer but the summer before, and spent a month traveling. I went to three USA games and a Columbia-Uruguay game. I was with a group of 15 people. We rented a big house and we traveled to all the different cities together, so that was really fun.

What were your favorite subjects in school?

“I went to Brazil for the World Cup, not this past summer but the summer before and spent a month traveling.”

English was one. I always loved to write, ever since I was really really little. I wasn’t pushed into it, I always had a little journal, or diary, little Hello Kitty stationery, the little spiral ones. I loved creating stories in college; my focus was creative writing, so it just became a passion and kind of an outlet, just kind of how sports were. So if I was upset, I would go write poetry, or go write a story about something, or just vent. Reading too, but I just love to write. I also loved P.E., but I didn’t take it in high school because I played sports. I played softball, soccer and field hockey. I also liked math, even though I wasn’t really good at it. I really liked geometry, but after that it just became too difficult.

What is one thing you would change about your high school experience?

More appreciation for my parents. They did a lot for me that I appreciated at the time, but looking back, and how my mom sacrificed a lot for sports, all the traveling… I don’t know how she managed three girls since my parents divorced right after I graduated high school. She knows how much I appreciate her, but I think I could’ve told her and really expressed it more, instead of running off and doing my own thing. I do try to let her know as much as I can now.

If you could teach another subject for a day, what would it be?

Maybe art. I’m not very musical, but I like the whole creation process and expression, how there’s no right or wrong. Maybe I’d be a coach. I’ve coached soccer almost as long as I’ve taught.

– By Alyssa Poon and Clarissa Wan

Kardashian fan empowers ‘underdog’ students

Stephen Esquer, learning resources

What are some of your hobbies/interests?

I love the Kardashians. They are just as dramatic as I am, so I can relate. I like to go out to eat and I love music. Who doesn’t love to go out to eat? It’s the best way to spend time with your friends. I love Mexican food; I’m Mexican, so I could just have it all day every day. I also love sushi, spaghetti and lasagna. As for music, I like a wide range. My favorite genre would probably be mainstream pop. I just bought a new song even though it came out a while ago because my friend was listening to it — it’s called “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith. Don’t laugh, but I’ve also been listening a lot to a Meghan Trainor song, “Marvin Gaye,” and it’s so good.

What were your favorite subjects in school?

I loved English. I was always good at writing, it’s always been a strength of mine. I still love it. I always got good responses from my teachers, which helped boost my self-esteem, and my teachers were always really good to me. I was in band for all four years of high school; I played the saxophone. I was such a loser in high school, it was nice to have a place to fit in. I got through school by sticking to the band crowd. I don’t play saxophone anymore but I play other instruments. I play piano, guitar, and I like to sing. As for quitting saxophone — it’s because I hated it. I loved that I wasn’t sitting at a table by myself, but I didn’t love the saxophone as an instrument. Since the day I picked it up, I just wasn’t happy.

“I teach special education, so a lot of my kids are the underdogs, and it’s fun to give them the tools and a way to conquer the world.”

What is one thing you would change about your high school experience?

I wish I was cool. But at the same time, I’m happy that I wasn’t because it helped me to see people differently and want to befriend the people who looked like they were struggling socially. Back then, my social skills had not developed. I had zero friends from the first day of school to the day I graduated. I was pretty awkward, and just figuring myself out, so it was pretty lonely. It was kind of hard to not have friends or have a place to sit at lunch time, or even anyone to sit with. But it’s definitely helped me to become more aware of people who are struggling that way. I guess I wouldn’t really change anything. It was horrible, but it got me to where I am now. Now that I’m like, super cool, I’m down to hang out with just everybody and make everyone feel like they’re a valuable part of the world. I’m super down for the underdog. I was Team Khloe before she got skinny. I teach special education, so a lot of my kids are the underdogs, and it’s fun to give them the tools and a way to conquer the world.

If you could teach another subject for a day, what would it be?

Art. Probably sketching or painting. I like to doodle and draw, and a lot of my kids use pictures for communication.

– By Jennifer Zhang

Alum and former dance company member returns to teach math

Sarah Bookwalter, math teacher

What are some of your hobbies/interests?

I love spending time with my 11-month-old baby girl. I like to sew quilts and pillows for my house, so I made a Halloween costume for my daughter. She was the bunny, Nicholas, from the children’s book “I Am A Bunny.” I also like to dance. Right now I am taking a tap dancing class. Tap has always been my favorite. I like rhythm and making noise and music with my feet.

I want to make the same impact my teachers here at Lowell had on me as a student. They influenced me to become a teacher and persevere in whatever I do.

What were your favorite subjects in school?

Math, dance and theater. I always liked math as a student and always knew I wanted to be a math teacher. In college I ended up taking a bunch of math classes but majoring in Italian, even though I knew I would become a math teacher. I decided to major in Italian because I wasn’t enjoying my math classes at UC Santa Cruz. I was doing well but they weren’t exciting, so I decided to use college as a place to learn and not so much as career training. However, I did still take a lot of math classes to prepare me for after graduation and all four years, I participated in an internship program in which I observed and taught in the public schools in Santa Cruz. I started to really get into dance and theater here at Lowell. I was a member of the Lowell Dance Company and it was what got me through high school. Having an extracurricular activity that I loved was a lifesaver and a stress reliever.

What is one thing you would change about your high school experience?

Nothing! I am a Lowell alum and here I am, back at my alma mater, teaching. I look forward to teaching Lowell students who are so actively involved in the classroom and the school community. I want to make the same impact my teachers here at Lowell had on me as a student. They influenced me to become a teacher and persevere in whatever I do. I also want to be a support to my students so that they can succeed here at Lowell.

If you could teach another subject for a day, what would it be?

Italian. That was my major in college and I would like to see if I could do it.

– By Luming Yuan

Experienced free diver emphasizes critical thinking in the classroom

DeLainya Kazarian, counselor

What are some of your hobbies/interests?

Surfing and diving. I grew up here by the water and it was always part of what I did. I was training in the Sea of Cortez for freediving and a massive whale shark the size of a school bus came within six inches of me.

What were your favorite subjects in school?

“I was training in the Sea of Cortez for freediving and a massive whale shark the size of a school bus came within six inches of me.”

I loved classes focusing on holistic health and social sciences. I think that sometimes people get so hooked on grades that they forget to take care of themselves but if they take the time to do that they end up achieving a lot more. I also loved statistics and research, even though I didn’t like math in general. Math never made sense to me until I took statistics, which was when I realized that it was actually useful and applicable. All of a sudden, when I took statistics, everything I had been learning over the years clicked into place.

What is one thing you would change about your high school experience?

I would’ve been more involved in the school community instead of just focusing on grades. I feel I missed out by not being involved more in the community and extracurricular activities.

If you could teach another subject for a day, what would it be?

A class about health, wellness and peak performance and how important it is. A class where students could think about actually learning instead of about grades.

– By Ciana Adams and Samantha Sicairos