I will never forget my high school Art teacher, Mrs. Arana. She was the first friendly face to greet me on my first day of high school. I began Pope John Paul II High School as a nervous freshmen, she became one of my very best friends, as well as a mentor. Mrs Arana is one of the reasons I want to go into the field of education. She taught me that a teacher is more than educator, a teacher is also a friends and a councelor. I remember looking foward to seeing her and telling her about my day, and inturn she would tell me about hers. There always used to be a line out her door, all the students looked up to Mrs. Arana.
I will always remember her, but more importantly I will remember the lessons she taught me. I saw how Mrs. Arana helped students both inside and outside the classroom. She stressed that a good education was fundamental, at the same time she taught her students to be creative and to follow their hearts. As and Art teacher, Mrs. Arana experienced the effects of a tight budget, especially in a private school, but that did not stop her passion and drive to teach students to be creative. She went out and spent her own, hard earned money to buy supplies for her classes as well as the Art Club.
Mrs. Arana is one of the strongest people who has influenced me. Throughout my four years of high school I began to question my own future and did not know what I wanted to become. Through the our daily afternoon chats she helped me see that I could do whatever I put my mind to. One day I want to be able to impact my own student's lives as much as she did mine.
-- Gina Mager, Florida Atlantic University