Aida Lamelas is a teacher at South High School who has a passion for helping the younger generation succeed in life.
She started her career with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in revenue management, because she loved numbers and keeping things organized in her life. However, she said she has always wanted to become a teacher since her childhood.
After deciding to pursue teaching, she only needed one more year of college because she could transfer some credits from her bachelor’s degree. She didn’t find becoming a teacher expensive because she got a full scholarship which covered all her costs.
Lamelas’ favorite part of being a teacher is seeing her students learn and succeed in the community. She said she finds happiness in watching her students graduate and become responsible adults. “I want to see them succeed in life, and I want them to follow their dreams and not look back,” she said. She started working at South High School four years ago because she saw the school’s diverse population and wanted to help immigrants and others in need. “I want to help my community as I relate to them and their struggles,” she said.
Before joining South High, Lamelas worked as a para paraprofessional at Bryan High and taught adults at multiple non-profit organizations like the Latino Center and Completely KIDS youth organization. She also spent two years teaching in Cuba before moving to the United States.
A typical day for Lamelas at South High involves teaching two Spanish honors classes and being an advisement teacher. Her day is always filled with office work, coordinating the Dual Language Community Service Initiative and making phone calls to students’ homes as part of the phone-calling team. Despite all the challenges her job comes with, Lamelas said she loves her job and would recommend teaching to others. “I would become a teacher in every lifetime as I love my job, struggles and all,” she said.
She believes that as a teacher, you can give back to the community and help children become great adults by showing them a good example that some students might not have at home.
For future teachers, Lamelas advises that the beginning might be hard, but it’s important to never give up. It is important to trust your students and recognize that every student can learn, even though they come from different backgrounds. “It’s important to trust your students and believe in them no matter what!” Lamelas’ dedication to teaching makes her a great role model for anyone considering a career in education.
