Photos and interview by Dulce Perez
This month's Staff Member of the Month goes to Ms. Vanessa Marroquin, secondary math teacher.
General Info
DP: What is your favorite color?
VM: I do not have a favorite color, but I have a favorite number, 13. The reason why it is my favorite number is because people say it is the unlucky number.
DP: What is your favorite food?
VM: Carne Asada
DP: Are you a morning person or a night owl?
VM: Night owl, though I have a job that starts every morning, but once I am at school the tiredness goes away.
DP: What is your favorite thing to do when you're not working?
VM: I enjoy spending time with my family.
DP: If you weren't a teacher, what might your profession be?
VM: I have always wanted to be a teacher, but then I said I wanted to be an engineer. Once I got into the engineering program, I found out it is something I did not want to do. Then I decided to go into teaching, and I was so glad I did. Teaching is something I enjoy doing everyday.
DP: What is your favorite genre to watch?
VM: Comedy
DP: What shows do you enjoy watching?
VM: The Office reruns, Friends reruns, Modern Family reruns, and Grey's Anatomy.
Teaching Related
DP: How many years have you been teaching at Collinsville?
VM: I have been teaching at Collinsville for 4 years. I taught at Crossville High School for 1 year then transferred to Collinsville.
DP: What is the best part about your job?
VM: Getting to know all of my students and seeing how much they grow throughout the years. Each one of my students have their own personalities and are becoming young adults and us as teachers, we get to see that happen. I meet most of my students in the 9th and 10th grade so seeing my students grow is such a wonderful process.
DP: What separates you from other teachers?
VM: My ethnicity and the ability to connect with Hispanics and minorities.
DP: What is the scariest thing about teaching?
VM: Being responsible for 30 human beings at once.
DP: What is a quote you would like to leave the Class of 2022 as they are going into this new chapter of their lives?
VM: ¨Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.¨ -Michael Josephson