Our loved high school science teacher!
Matisse: Good afternoon, Ms. Andi. What do you love most about afternoons?
Ms. Andi: Good afternoon Matisse, what I love most about afternoons is that I get to practice karate.
Matisse: What do you love most about life in general?
Ms. Andi: I love to travel, I believe it teaches you a lot.
Matisse: How would you describe yourself in three words?
Ms. Andi: I am a perfectionist (I hate when things are not perfect and that happens most of the time), I am a big science nerd and I am also very lazy.
Matisse: Tell me a little about yourself, your background story (where you were born in, your family, your hometown)
Ms. Andi: I was born in La Paz Bolivia, I am the youngest of four siblings, we all graduated from ACS. I have been at ACS since Pre-K (at the time it was called Pre-K.) Then I went to the US for college, I studied pre-med, I also have a pre-professional degree in Biology. I had the idea of studying medicine in Bolivia, but then I started working at ACS as a sub and then as an elementary aid and I just fell in love with teaching.
Matisse: How would you describe yourself as a teenager?
Ms. Andi: I was shy, and I am very shy still. I was not one of those typical teenagers that gets in fights with her parents and wants to run away, my parents told me I was very calm.
Matisse: Were you part of any clubs or sports?
Ms. Andi: I was part of the soccer team. We did not have girls soccer when I was a freshmen, so we started when I was a sophomore.
Matisse: What was one thing you wanted to change about the world when you were a teenager?
Ms. Andi: Because I lived in Bolivia I was always impressed with poverty. I was fortunate enough to travel during the summer and visit places that did not have poverty, making my country shocking. It was always something I thought was unfair.
Matisse: What is the best thing about being a teacher at ACS?
Ms. Andi: I love being a teacher here at ACS because I graduated from here (it is my home), and I love working with the students.
Matisse: What is the most difficult thing about being a teacher at ACS?
Ms. Andi: At ACS, teachers have to teach many courses (I teach Biology, Chemistry, AP’S.) At other schools, teachers only teach one course. It is very challenging to keep with every course you have to teach and grade everything on time.
Matisse: What is your spirit animal?
Ms. Andi: I do not like animals in general, but many students that have taken Biology with me know that I am a big fan of Rosalind Franklin (she discovered the DNA structure but never got credit for it.)
Matisse: What would your last meal be, if you were next on a serial killers list?
Ms. Andi: I love Mexican Food, so maybe tacos in pastor.
Matisse: What is a book you have recently read and would recommend?
Ms. Andi: I finished the Divergent series, I love all dystopian books.
Matisse: What is your favorite song/group?
Ms. Andi: I am not very picky with music, but something I love to sing are ‘rancheras.’
Matisse: Last but not least, what advice would you give to the seniors leaving?
Ms. Andi: We tend to be our harshest judges. And when you are a senior leaving, just because you find yourself alone in a different world, you tend to be a lot harsher on yourself. Just give yourself a break, we all make mistakes…and when we make a mistake, we learn from it.
Matisse: Thank you!
