Inspiring a wave of incentive and discipline in her students, Yearbook advisor Lucy Velasco maneuvers the challenges of taking on the new position alongside being an English teacher. Now in her second year, she has grown since taking on the position.

Her teaching philosophy emphasises the importance of fostering a safe and loving environment, radiating an atmosphere of positivity, which editor in chief senior Cayenne Lawrence attributes. 

“Ms. Velasco has helped me grow by guiding me through the tough times. She helps [yearbook] efficiently deal with deadlines and gives us really good advice on how to handle yearbook matters. It is especially helpful when dealing with the incoming freshman, so that we can include them in everything and help them grow as well,” Lawrence said.

At age eighteen, Velasco’s first volunteer teaching job consisted of educating students’ ages 4 to ten at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic school, where she built the foundation of her optimistic attitude towards her students. This continues throughout her current career teaching high school students, which is noticed by sophomore yearbook staff member Grace Tayag.

“Having such a welcoming teacher who’s so willing to explain and is very enthusiastic about teaching somebody was very nice to have in my first year, and really gave me a good step into yearbook as somebody who’s usually shy,” Tayag said.

Originally going to UCLA with a biology major, Velasco switched to the education program. She was also inspired by her English professor, who helped her find joy in the subject, while she had previously been interested in STEM subjects.

“I made the switch because [English] was challenging at first. Now it’s not so challenging because I teach it, but it still inspires me, especially when I’m getting these different perspectives from students. It’s always so exciting,” Velasco said.

Initially teaching only English, Velasco advised Yearbook for the first time at RUHS last year, partially inspired by her own involvement in her high school yearbook. This comes with a new set of challenges with students outside of school hours. For example, last spring break Velasco and yearbook staff members spent four days working to meet deadlines. The time commitment Velasco makes as a yearbook advisor inspires her students to maintain discipline by portraying her own dedication. Velasco pairs this with kindness, which creates an environment that is both challenging and supportive.

 “She talks to her EICs and students with such a warm and accepting tone. It really changed how I felt about yearbook. In my freshman year I felt pressured to be the very best I could ever be, and I still feel similar, but in a more relaxed way,” Tayag said.

Lawrence also emphasises the kindness Velasco displays, allowing her to reach her students on a further level beyond her class.

“Ms. Velasco is a teacher I could talk to anything about, and before I never felt like I could open up to a teacher. Before I kept school and my personal life totally separate, but now it is kind of mixing together, since I’m able to open up in school,” Lawrence said.

Part of fostering a loving environment includes treating her students with respect, which is one of the building blocks to a teacher-student relationship with good-listening and a healthy learning environment.

“I remember a student telling me, ‘Ms. Velasco, why do you always say good morning to us? None of my teachers even say hi to us,’ and that stuck with me,” Velasco said.

Despite being new to the program herself, Velasco beganins new traditions to ensure that she maintains the high reputation of the yearbook.

“[Ms. Velasco] came up with the idea to check the proofs in a circle, which make sure that we fix every single mistake, with a bunch of eyes on the same spread. It has helped avoid small mistakes that would usually be submitted in a yearbook,” Lawrence said.

Teaching two separate and demanding courses, Velasco must assist in coordinating a multitude of yearbook and English necessities to fit her busy schedule. 

“I think people don’t recognize the amount of work she puts in enough. On top of the amount of work that she puts into yearbook, she also has English classes. It’s hard to balance, and definitely tiring, but to have someone that’s willing to go through that for our program is something I’m very grateful for,” Tayag said.

Part of becoming a yearbook advisor entails taking on the responsibility of accurately representing the student body, which must be achieved through communication between the students and their teacher.

“It is important to include as many perspectives of our student body as possible,” Velasco said.“We are unfortunately not able to share the 3,000 identities and life view that are present in our student body, but I encourage [my students] to reach out to absolutely anybody on campus, whether they’re sitting by themselves or they’re sitting in a group, or people in their class they’ve never talked to and ask them questions that can bring different perspectives into our book.”