Q&A with a Spanish and French teacher with advice for high schoolers

Ms. Veronica Grajeda is a Spanish and French instructor, and Key Club moderator at St. Joseph High School.

What is your favorite hobby?

One of my favorite hobbies is to learn a foreign language. I have taken Chinese and Arabic. I would really like to learn Korean and be fluent in Arabic. Latin is the next thing on my list. After completing all those, I would like to learn German and Russian. I also dance; I am in a Mexican folklore company.

What is your favorite T.V. show?

I watch “The Office” a lot; I have rewatched the series multiple times. I also really liked “Friends.” My favorite TV show of all time is one that came out many years ago, “The New Adventures of Superman.” I had a big crush on the actor and I’m a big Superman fan.

What is your favorite restaurant?

My favorite restaurant is in New York; it is a Japanese BBQ restaurant called Gyu-Kaku.

What is your favorite high school memory?

My favorite high school memory is French class and hanging out with my friend, who is now my fiancé.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

When I was little, I played school, but it wasn’t until my junior or senior year in high school during French class that I decided I wanted to teach French. I believe that is where my focus started in wanting to become a foreign language teacher.

What did you do before teaching at Saint Joseph’s?

I have always been on track to be a teacher, so mostly everything I did led up to that. Before teaching, I worked at Starbucks for a while and also worked in retail. Before teaching at Saint Joseph’s, I was teaching English in New York.

What is your favorite part of teaching at Saint Joseph’s?

Since I am so passionate about teaching a foreign language, I enjoy doing it all day. I like teaching and talking about language, so that in itself is my favorite part. I like interacting with the students. I am always learning something new and figuring out new challenges. The Saint Joseph culture is very tight and welcoming. I also think Saint Joseph’s has a really great group of girls, so I feel very lucky.

If you were a student at Saint Joseph’s, what class mascot would you want?

Mickey, I have been a Mickey fan since I was little. My first stuffed animal was a Mickey.

What advice would you give the students of Saint Joseph and all high schoolers?

In my experience, people’s greatest high school regret is often all of the stuff they did not learn while they were there. Relationships, friendships, and fashion trends are fleeting, ever-changing. Invest in yourself today, because with time everything else will evolve, and sometimes, sadly, without you. From that, I would advise students to break their bad habits now because those bad habits are going to follow you. The responsibilities and expectations just get higher and higher, so those bad habits, such as procrastinating or not being organized, will get in your way and make your life much more stressful.