Text by ALLEGRA WEST AND AANYA KUMAR
Fresh faces on campus INTRODUCING PALY’S NEW STAFF MEMBERS
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VER SINCE SHE WAS YOUNG, Young Ju Lee was fascinated with human interaction. After interning at a middle school during college, Lee discovered that teaching allowed her to continue to explore this interest while also being a fulfilling, impactful career path. Lee, a Palo Alto High School 2016 alumna, is bringing her passion and excitement back to Paly as a new math teacher this year. Lee is one of four new friendly faces to look for on campus this year, along with Roxanne Lanzot, Erik Olah and Kenna Gallagher. v
Kenna Gallagher Photography teacher Kenna Gallagher said that she has long been captivated by photography and the joy it provides her with. “You go back and look at your camera roll and it brings back all the memories … it’s nostalgic,” Gallagher said. Gallagher said she is excited to share her craft with engaging students who seek to learn the fundamentals of the art form and are passionate about learning. “I just feel like there’s a higher value given to education here and the students understand that education is the stepping stone to getting to where you want to go later in life,” Gallagher said. “It’s nice to see people who value that.” Photography aside, Gallagher hopes in addition to developing meaningful connections with her students, she can emphasize the benefits of approaching life in an untraditional way. “I know that there’s a lot of pressure from family, from parents, from just the community at large on the students here and it’s okay not to be perfect,” Gallagher said. “I certainly didn’t get to where I am by going on the road most traveled ... you don’t have to know where you’re going when you leave high school and that’s okay.” Erik Olah New Paly Assistant Principal Erik Olah transitioned from being a science teacher to his new job this year after teaching in the classroom for 13 years. Although teaching has always been a passion of his, Olah said he has wanted to take on a leadership position as an administrator for much of his career. “Through the years of teaching I kind of took on some leadership roles throughout my time [teaching] and I really enjoyed leading other teachers and leading the education process,” Olah said. Olah said he hopes to help Paly students find their passion and engage with the school community before graduating. “The connection with the students was always super important to me and now as an administrator,” Olah said. “I want every student to be able to pursue whatever interests — Paly’s got tons of programs, tons of awesome things that kids can access — and really feel like Paly is the place they can come to [for their interests].” Young Ju Lee Math teacher YJ Lee said she is excited to begin her teaching career at Paly due to her insight into the student experience. “I thought it would be good to be somewhere where I understand what the culture is like and just how it is to be a student here,” Lee said. “It just felt more meaningful to come back to where I started in order to make a change.” Lee said she cultivated her passion for teaching in college while interning at a local middle school.
30 OCTOBER 2021
