Rosary has had many wonderful faculty additions this year that have each brought so much to the school. One of these wonderful additions is Sr. Ray, a new member of the world languages department, specifically of the Spanish sector of the department. Sr. Ray is teaching teaching Spanish III, Spanish IV, Honors Spanish IV and AP Spanish while Sra. Kam is on medical leave. Sr. Ray is very enthusiastic to begin his Rosary journey and has enjoyed teaching Spanish to all of his students. Let’s hear his perspective on his teaching experience.
Q: When did you begin to learn Spanish?
A: I began to learn Spanish in seventh grade as an elective.
Q: Where did you attend high school and college?
A: I went to Troy High School, and then I went to UC Santa Barbara, where I got a BA in Spanish.
Q: What were your favorite school subjects?
A: My favorite subjects in high school were Spanish and philosophy. I was in the IB program at my high school, and I really enjoyed it.
Q: What made you decide to teach Spanish?
A: I started college as a Spanish minor, and I began to enjoy my Spanish classes more than I enjoyed my classes for my major in economics. I was also doing volunteer tutoring on the side, which made me realize that I enjoyed teaching.
Q: What has your teaching journey been like?
A: My journey began when I tutored for a couple of years, mostly in math, English and a little Spanish. Coming to Rosary has confirmed my love for teaching, and I have enjoyed that it is a Catholic school and a supportive community from both staff and students. The experience has been hectic with a lot of work, but joyful and fulfilling, and it makes me want to come back each day.
Q: Why do you feel that learning Spanish or other world languages is an important skill for students?
A: Learning a new language is important for students to be able to connect and interact with others, but more importantly, to serve others who might be divided by language barriers.
Q: Tell us about your dogs.
A: I have two dogs. The older dog is Darwin, and he is half German shepherd, a quarter husky, and a quarter labrador retriever. The younger one is Backa, and he is a chocolate labrador retriever.
Q: When did your love for cats begin?
A: I was a Dominican Friar for two years, and there were two cats that were the only pets in the priory, or the house where the Dominican Friars live. They were named Cosmos and Damian. St. Cosmos and St. Damian were brothers, and these two cats were brothers. I spent a lot of time playing with the cats in the priory and enjoyed learning more about them. Now I like to watch cats on Instagram like Rigby and Uncle Bao, and I can relate to their funny facial expressions.
Q: What are your hobbies?
A: I run, I play the piano, I play “Valorant,” I like to go to aquariums and I like to travel.
Q: What are some of your favorite places that you’ve traveled to?
A: Some of my favorite countries that I’ve been to are Japan, Spain, Italy and Turkey. I loved Northern Spain, specifically Galicia, a city on the Camino de Santiago. I liked rural Japan and the feeling of being outside of the big cities. I liked Venice, Italy and Ephesus in Turkey. Ephesus is where Mary’s house was, and when you refer to Ephesians in the Bible, you are referring to the people of the town of Ephesus.
Q: How has it been being one of two Rays in the world language department?
A: On the first day of the first week, it was very shocking to my students, and when I told them that Sra. Ray and I were not related, they didn’t know whether I was joking. It’s been a funny coincidence, and we’ve been speculating whether we’re related. Sra. Ray and I have found that we have a lot in common, like music tastes.
Q: What has your Rosary experience been like so far?
A: My Rosary experience has been fun, amazing, energetic and the “right fit.” Teaching something that I enjoy with students that are amazing in a Catholic campus that is so close to where I live makes teaching at Rosary my dream job.
As made evident by Sr. Ray’s experiences, he has had some great opportunities, and his Rosary and teaching career is just beginning. Gracias, Sr. Ray, for being a terrific Spanish teacher! The Rosary community is excited to see how your teaching journey will unfold.
