This year, our school welcomed eight new members to the faculty. Among these new teachers include Mrs. Hsu, a new math teacher who teaches in Room 111. Prior to joining San Marino, Mrs. Hsu taught at Burbank Unified School District. There, she taught Grade 7 math, teaching a variety of topics throughout the course of an entire year, ranging from geometry to statistics. “We were on an integrated math path while San Marino has a traditional pacing for math. We basically just touched on a little bit of every facet of math every year so one day, you would be learning algebra while another day, you would be learning geometry. It was nice to be able to touch on everything in one whole year with my class but at the same time, I think it confused some kids because a lot of the material I taught was completely unrelated to the stuff I taught days prior,” Mrs. Hsu said.

Now, Mrs. Hsu teaches Honors Algebra 2, Geometry, and Statistics. “This year, now that I’m teaching geometry, algebra, and stats, I’m dealing with everyone ranging from freshmen to seniors. It’s different, but it’s fun. I feel like everyone has a lot of energy, a lot of talent, and everyone’s so smart. I’m not used to working with older students which makes it interesting because now I can have real conversations with people,” she said.

However, she didn’t always have plans to pursue a career in teaching. A alumni of UCI, Mrs. Hsu originally pursued a career in business, completing a plethora of internships and jobs in management. “Five years into business, I did HR, finance, and corporate investment banking. In that, you just notice so much soul-sucking in your life. It feels so dull and mundane. You’re not talking to anyone, especially during COVID. I was working from home and I was just in my dark room and that’s how I knew that something had to change. I wanted to do something more meaningful because at that time, my life was about money and work, so I just had a change of heart and decided to start teaching,” Mrs. Hsu said. 

Outside of school, Mrs. Hsu partakes in a variety of activities that would not normally be associated with a teacher, among which include brazilian jiu jitsu and playing for a church band. “I play the keys and the guitar on worship. We play as a band though, because we do practice and have side-gigs like a trick-or-treat event last year. I also do Brazilian jiu jitsu, but I get hurt a lot so I always tell my students ahead of time so if they ever see me with bruises, they don’t freak out. It’s really cool and fun even though it takes a lot of energy,” she said. Mrs. Hsu has, so far, greatly enjoyed her time at San Marino High School, and is excited for what the rest of the year will bring.