What is your name and department? My name is Jessica A. Garcia and I work in Science Biology, EL Biology, and EL Physical Science.

How long have you been teaching at North? I’ve been teaching for 6 years. 

What’s your favorite movie and why? Lion King, I can rewatch this movie over and over again without getting tired of it.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? In Mexico, the food is delicious and the culture is more relaxed. 

What’s your biggest accomplishment? As of now I have coached and mentored 12 high school students through running the Chicago Marathon. The relationships I created with them and helping them achieve that goal at such a young age, has been my greatest accomplishment. 

Do you speak any other languages besides English? I speak Spanish fluently and I can get by in Portuguese. 

What fun things do you do in your classes? I create labs that students look forward to. We have baked bread, dissected elephant poop, and eaten crickets. 

What made you become a XC and Track coach? I enjoy helping students reach their potential and tapping into unknown talents. I gave up coaching at the end of the 2022 school year to go back to school. I hope to one day return.

How do you balance being a science teacher and a coach? When I coached I would work through breaks and lunch to minimize the work I would take home. I felt managing relationships in the classroom was significantly easier because I would see a lot of my students for longer periods of time. 

How would you describe LANSA? Can you give some insight on it? LANSA is a Latinx affinity space that focuses on Post-Secondary Education. We create an environment that helps propel students in post-secondary education. That could be a 4-year university, community college, or trade school. We have alumni come back and talk to our students and create opportunities for our students to visit a variety of Chicagoland area colleges and universities. 

Where are you going on your field trip for LANSA? We go to different colleges and universities. Our upcoming field trip is to Oakton College for a workshop that is specific to Latinx students that are preparing for post secondary education.