FACULTY SPOTLIGHT 34
Wait, what?! Gulliver LaValle’s fans came up with this list to describe him. “He’s helpful and gets us the things we need to succeed,” says Genaro Flores ‘20. Michelle Taffe believes, “he’s extremely empathic to the students and their parents.” “He gets along with people and has a good heart,” adds Brian Schlaak. “He is able to hold the kids to a high standard,” points out Dorothy Kowal, “but students respond because they know how much he cares.” So where does “annoying” fit in? Derek Abarca ‘18 explains. “He’ll bother you till you get something done. He really wants to see you succeed.” Gulliver LaValle holds the official title of Community Engagement Director, which includes organizing Priory’s community service opportunities and running the Access program, which recruits students from underserved populations to apply to Priory and helps them to thrive here once accepted. He also heads the Peninsula Bridge program that provides summer academic growth opportunities. After graduating with honors from the University of Utah with degrees in anthropology and Spanish, Gulliver stayed on to earn a Masters degree in Teaching and Learning. His first teaching position took him to an alter-
native high school, teaching history to students who had previously been expelled. “The whole reason I got into education,” says Gulliver, “was to help the underrepresented and underserved to have equity and a positive experience with their education.” In 2007, Gulliver LaValle arrived on the Priory campus, making it his home in the classroom as well as in faculty housing. But it’s not only his home. “I’m the type of person whose house is open to people who are in need of support,” he explains. And open his doors he has, whether it’s for students to stay late studying or even to having students live with his family. “That’s a defining level of commitment,” says Brian Schlaak. Over and over, students describe Mr. LaValle as a father figure in their lives. “He’s always in the lives of the kids he’s working with,” says Keyshawn Ashford ‘18. “He knows their grades, cares for them all, just making sure we’re okay and at the top level.” Katy Oseguera ‘17 adds, “He treats us exactly the same as his children. He’s a father figure to us Access kids.” Gulliver’s own son Adrian LaValle ‘18 has grown up experiencing this open-house policy. “He shows his leadership through encouragement and by example,” Adrian states. Gulliver explains how his goal is “keeping kids focused on the ultimate goal without getting discouraged and allowing the little bumps in the road to seem bigger
