Upon meeting Mrs. Julia Romero Sanchez, you are immediately drawn to her bright eyes, wide smile, and expressive hand movements. Life can be stressful, especially in the post-COVID era, but Mrs. Romero Sanchez continues to shine with her lively personality. 

Growing up in Spain, Mrs. Romero Sanchez, the new Middle School Spanish teacher, was heavily influenced by her Spanish language teachers. “They were very supportive and inspirational in the way that it made me see clearly what I wanted to do,” she said. Her teachers helped her find her direction and ignited within her a passion for teaching. 

With over a decade’s worth of teaching experience, Mrs. Romero Sanchez’s career spans multiple countries and states—including teaching high school-level Spanish in Spain and at the collegiate level in New York and Pennsylvania. Her most recent teaching endeavors were at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and The Convent of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls school in New York City. 

Mrs. Romero Sanchez believes her recent move to California was a change for the better. “I’m telling everybody I’m living in a spa. It’s so relaxing and beautiful here. I love it. I love the weather. So yeah, it’s a perfect fit for me.”

Despite being new to Westridge, Mrs. Romero Sanchez has already made fond memories. “The community of students and teachers is amazing. Everyone is helping me a lot. I

ask questions all the time because I know I’m a little lost. And everybody is so helpful, so very nice and kind people,” she said with a smile.  

When asked for one of her favorite memories so far, Mrs. Romero Sanchez’s face immediately lit up. Like many people, setting up technology was her greatest struggle transitioning to Westridge. She is grateful to the Help Desk because she admitted, “I’m terrible with technology.” 

Outside of teaching, Mrs. Romero Sanchez likes to dance, color, and watch TV shows to help her unwind. “I do a lot of Zumba. I also like to do adult coloring books. And also, this is kind of a secret, but I like to watch silly but serious series. It helps me to relax,” she whispered. She especially enjoys the Australian show Offspring, as well as many British television series. Aside from her hobbies, Mrs. Romero Sanchez spends time with her 11-year-old dog Luna. “She is one of the most important… I cannot say human beings, but she’s so important to me. I don’t have kids. So she’s become almost like my little kid.”

Finally, Mrs. Romero Sanchez talked about her goals for her class this school year. She hopes to take into account both her students’ academic growth and their emotional wellbeing, wanting them to learn in a way that brings them joy. “My goal would be that students really learn something. But while they’re learning, they have to enjoy the class. I don’t want them to suffer and be really anxious. I want them to be relaxed and to try to make the effort. I want them to think, ‘Okay, I learned these things, but the most important thing is that I felt really fine in the Spanish class.’”