In 2004, Ms. Ramos, the AP Biology and Anatomy & Physiology Honors teacher, wasn’t a teacher at PPCHS, but another 12th grade student. During her high school years, Ms. Ramos never had a desire to become a teacher; she was persistent about not teaching, ever. Her track was the medical field, so after finishing high school, she went to university and got a bachelor’s degree in health and medicine. Stopping shortly after, she had her child and realized that if she returned to work, she wouldn’t have any time to be with them.

Something soon happened that changed everything. Her friend, who was working at Charter, suggested that she take over her class while she was on maternity leave. She ended up interim subbing at Charter, for the time being, just covering for her friend’s class. 

However, the class was an English class, and Ms. Ramos specialized in scientific subjects. Just as she was deciding that maybe working at Charter wasn’t something she would enjoy, she was called in to substitute for yet another teacher. This time, for an Anatomy and Physiology class. “Once I went into that class, that is what changed everything for me,” she says, explaining how she began to love teaching because of it. “I knew immediately that this is what I wanted to do.” 

Once she started teaching full classes of her own at Charter, she began to notice how similar being at the school was to when she was a student. “Absolutely everything [was similar],” she says. “I distinctly remember being in the C Building, and sitting in the classrooms with our desks, and it’s just funny because you go into the class and you’re like, ‘Man, I was here!’” And it wasn’t just the school that was familiar, some of her former teachers were now her coworkers, like Mr. Quigley and Mrs. Schmitt. Ms. Ramos says that it was quite strange for them to see her, even though it’s been ten years, but they feel more like her coworkers than teachers now.

It’s incredible how people’s lives can change so much and take a direction that no one, not even themselves, ever expected. Ms. Ramos went from being a student at Charter, detesting the idea of teaching, to realizing that this is what she truly wanted to do in life—even becoming a teacher at the same school. “It’s funny how life takes a turn,” she says, laughing, “and I don’t have any complaints, honestly.”