Mrs. Maria Powell, the newest addition to the biology department, brings with her 20 years of teaching experience. Having previously taught at Los Banos High and Gunn High School in Palo Alto, Powell has a record of positively impacting her students. Her commitment to education was recognized in 2015 when she was named Teacher of the Year. 

“[Powell] has so much experience it is kind of intimidating. […] She’s awesome,” Mrs. Desiree English said. “She is such a good fit for Whitney. We are really lucky to have her.”

Powell believes in empowering students to believe in their own self-worth and resilience, regardless of their academic achievements. Her goal is to ensure that students leave her class with the confidence and tools needed to solve their own problems. Despite her extensive experience, Powell remains focused on building trust with her students, a process she is eager to begin on campus.

“What I hope to impact students with is [an idea of] self worth that is bigger than their grades or their numbers or their college acceptance. Self worth as a human is much bigger than that,” Powell said.

Being a new teacher at a large campus can be challenging for some. For English, this experience has made her nervous to tell her students it is her first year teaching. Powell is currently finding her way of fitting into the culture on campus.

“I’m looking forward to the moment where more students trust me, since they don’t know me at all,” Powell said. “ At some point, there should be a shift, but we’re getting there.”

by ALLIE BOSANO, JACOB CASETTA, PAIGE FRIESEN, ALLISON FULLER & KELVIN SARMIENTO