Ms. Gangotena was once a student who attended Mr. Quigley’s class on the history side of Charter’s U building. The U building is where she sets foot once again, this time instead of learning history, she teaches it. Towards the end of Ms. Gangotena’s senior year, Mr. Quigley asked his students to write a letter. Thinking she was not going to see Mr. Quigley again, the letter would later foreshadow her comeback to Charter.
In 2022, Mr. Quigley showed Ms. Gangotena the letter she had written before leaving high school. Ms. Gangotena says the letter consisted of something like, “If I ever became a teacher it would be because of you and Mrs. Hyacinth, but also I’m never going to see you again so … bye!” Despite the thought that she thought that she would’ve never come back to Charter, Ms. Gangotena did end up seeing almost everyone she thought she would never see again.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Gangotena began to tutor kids. Originally, her goal was to do something that entails politics as she graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in political science. But the pandemic shifted her goals. She decided to tutor as a side job and Ms. Gangotena discovered her renewed passion for teaching while also working as a tutor. She enjoyed helping students learn subjects like social studies and found it fulfilling.
After she found her passion for teaching, Ms. Gangotena knew she wanted to teach high schoolers, so she began as a substitute for Broward County schools. Although she loved Charter, the thought of teaching there slipped her mind. But with the encouraging words her friends gave her to apply to teach at Pembroke Pines Charter High School, an application was sent.
Her experience as a tutor reignited her desire to become a teacher, reaffirming the impact teaching students had on her. The letter, once saying she would never set foot into Charter again, now serves as a reminder of how much she has grown and how her path has transformed. Now, Ms. Gangotena can look back at the letter she wrote to Mr. Quigley and think back to how she reunited with the teachers who inspire her today.
