story by Lucy Whittaker

What brought you to Kansas City and St. Teresa’s?

We moved from Florida. My husband was in the military for ten years… he’s in the army and now he transferred to the reserves which is kind of like a part time army. He got a job working for the government. He’s working for immigration and citizenship. So that’s what brought us here.

So you moved here from Peru?

I moved here 4 years ago from Peru, I got married four years ago and after that, the wedding was in Peru. After that we moved to the US. Then we lived in Washington, Oklahoma, we moved to Florida and then were here.

What is your favorite or least favorite thing about having an advisory?

I don’t have a least favorite thing, I like the advisory. I like the fact that you can get to know your students better, their likes, dislikes and just to feel that community and sisterhood, that sense of belonging. That’s what I like about advisory. A time to have fun, to talk and share experiences.

Do you think that being at an all girls school made your transition to teaching here easier?

Definitely. I’m used to rules all my life so…  I came from a Catholic school very strict, there were nuns, Canadian nuns. It has definitely made that transition smoother. I remember interviewing with [McCormick]. This is my dream job, this is home, I’m coming back to my younger years.

Were there things that surprised you about STA?

Something that actually surprised me was the beautiful campus, the history, and they have a lot of archives. When I was doing my orientation they gave us a tour and took a look at all the archives and old uniforms they had on display, so that surprised me, mostly the campus and the history.