Ms. Gallego, a successful individual, takes great pride in being an alumnus of Sahuaro High School. After graduating, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. Ms. Gallego then pursued her Master’s degree in Honolulu.

Driven by her passion for education and inspired by the teachers who influenced her love for learning during her formative years, Ms. Gallego chose to become a teacher herself. She aspired to be a role model for her students, just like her teachers were for her.

Ms. Gallego is now a dedicated English teacher for Sahuaro who works tirelessly to help her students achieve academic success while fostering a love for learning. She is passionate about reading and uses her classroom as a safe and nurturing environment to encourage her students to learn differently and explore new ideas every day. Witnessing her students’ growth and progress in their studies strengthens the bond between teacher and student, making the hard work all the more rewarding.

Ms. Gallego recently went on a two-week-long trip to Italy over Fall Break and the week after. There, she joined a group of friends she met while studying abroad in Orvieto when she was an undergrad in college. She said Italy was the best place ever because “All the culture and food was amazing. Driving down the street and having the Colosseum right next to you is unbelievable. It’s just not something you see every day.”

She decided to study abroad because “The world has so many incredible sights and cultures to experience. I knew I wanted to take every possible opportunity to experience them all.” Ms. Gallego and her friends reminisced back on all their amazing memories by just walking down the streets they used to walk down during their semester studying abroad there.

The group of friends met back up for the ten-year reunion that they all promised each other they would go on together. Seeing all the places with such amazing backgrounds and histories reminded Ms. Gallego that sometimes it’s good to get away from the classroom occasionally.

She also decided to study abroad and take the chance because, at that point in her life, the only other country she had been to was Mexico. Plus, one of her majors was Classical Civilization, and she was obsessed with ancient Rome.

Ms. Gallego’s biggest takeaway from studying abroad was that she needed to make traveling a priority in her life. Gallego said for students who might feel intimidated by leaving home to study in another country, “Just do it! Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. The places you visit and the people you meet will change you.”

Ms. Gallego strongly believes in a structured and organized environment, which doesn’t always allow her to leave without the feeling that the class won’t get out of control, so sometimes she resents leaving. Because of that, she trains her students on what to do if she were ever to be away, and with the trust in her students, she feels a lot more comfortable leaving – as she did on her trip to Italy. She said she has so much trust in her students because “…I like to build friendships with my students so that I trust them more.”

In short, Ms. Gallego is a very kind, caring, and beautiful soul who welcomes everyone into her class with open arms. We love you, Ms. Gallego. Thank you for all your hard work.