Dr. Suarez is an English teacher and the English department chair at Miami Senior High. She is also a lawyer, the advisor of Class of 2029, and an avid reader!  She has an undergraduate degree in English literature. She says the reason she started teaching was because she loves people and English, so she says it’s like a ‘‘perfect marriage.’’ 

Passions 

     At the age of 4, Dr. Suarez discovered that she had a passion for reading. During that time, she used to wake up earlier than everybody else in her house. She was always bored because she couldn’t do anything without waking everybody up.  

    This was until she discovered books. Every where, she began going with her father to the library. Her father was the main factor that helped her become the big reader she is now. You could talk with her for hours, and she’d just pull-out reference after reference.  She has more references than you have hairs on your head!  

    Aside from reading, Dr. Suarez also likes to do things like attend sports matches such as basketball games & going to watch college football.

Expectations 

      Dr. Suarez expects all her students ‘‘To do the work they said they’re going to do, help each other, ask for help, and try their very best.’’ She feels that she has high expectations of people, but she also feels like she should because she also has high expectations for herself. 

    Additionally, she says that students should have higher expectations of themselves. ‘‘Because you should believe in yourself. You shouldn’t be scared to fail or to do hard things,’’ she said. 

    When Dr. Suarez was questioned if she would be proud if her teenager self saw her now, she answered immediately ,‘‘Yes. Absolutely. I’m proud of myself because I’m true to who I am, I’m proud of myself for being someone who stills reads, who still helps the community, and someone who stills screams the loudest at basketball games.’’  

School Life 

     When it comes to work, teaching is one of the most stressful jobs; there are many things that are tough about teaching. ‘‘The toughest part is dealing with apathetic adults,” said Dr. Suarez, “adults who don’t care enough.’’  

     But there is no darkness without light. ‘‘Some of the things I love about my job are the kids, reading books, and seeing how much the kids grow,’’ she said. 

Childhood and Family 

     Dr. Suarez’s plans after high school worked out quite nicely. ‘‘I wanted to go to undergrad and earn a degree in English and pursue law, and I did, albeit I had a detour and attended law school in the evening while teaching full time during the day, but I guess things work out the way they should. I did what I wanted to do which was become an attorney for low-income community members who often feel marginalized.’’  

     She wanted to be a lawyer, so she became one—that describes her as a person. She also had someone to rely on while on her journey. ‘‘My husband has been with me since senior high school, and he’s always supported my ambitions,’’ she said about her spouse Chuchi , whom she describes as “a pillar for everything in my life.”