Emely Soriano Garcia is a new first year teacher at South High this year.

This fall, Omaha South welcomed a first-year teacher – Emely Soriano Garcia.

Soriano Garcia graduated this year from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in secondary education. She is now South’s new dual language freshman seminar teacher. “I am also co-teaching a DL honors US history class and a DL modern world history class,” she said.

Soriano Garcia has tons of hobbies such as playing video games, hanging out with friends and family, painting and learning how to do her own nails. “I also love to travel; I went to five different states this summer,” she said.

Over the summer, Soriano Garcia served as the resident director for an Upward Bound summer academy. Upward Bound Programs (UBP) are federally funded programs designed to assist students in developing the academic skills and personal growth necessary for successful completion of high school and admission to a four-year university, according to UBP’s literature.

Soriano Garcia was in charge of the resident assistants and attended college tours in Washington D.C. and visited New York City with Upward Bound.

Why did Soriano Garcia choose to teach at South?

“I chose South because I was once a student here, and I love the community.”

Soriano Garcia said she wanted to be a teacher because growing up, she had many teachers who had a positive impact on her. “Along with that, I wanted to be a teacher because growing up, I did not see many teachers that looked like me, and I wanted that representation,”  she added.

One challenge Soriano Garcia said she has faced is transitioning. “I think my challenge has been my transition from undergraduate students to a full-time teaching position.”

Soriano Garcia added that she felt as if nothing could have prepared her for teaching until she began. “I am up for a challenge, and I am enjoying it,” she said.

Soriano Garcia said she was not planning on teaching a freshman seminar class but was planning to find a social studies position.

As she looked into the position, she said she became more interested and decided that this was the path for her. “It’s something I’m learning, and I enjoy being able to be a part of these students’ journeys here at South.”

As a Spanish and English speaker, Soriano Garcia said she wants her students to know that it is OK to make mistakes and that she plans to support them through those mistakes. “I make mistakes in English and Spanish; there’s always ways for us to improve and be more confident in both languages,” she said.

Soriano Garcia added that she hopes her students will take away the life skills they will learn in her classroom to help them grow.

Soriano Garcia’s words of advice for freshman are to join a club, try a sport and attend school events. “You’ll never know who you’ll meet or what you might end up liking.”