El Modena’s Loss is Cypress’ Gain

Ms. White is adjusting after transferring from El Modena High. photo by Carly Pedroza

by Carly Pedroza, Staff Writer

This 2022-2023 school year, Emily White joined the Centurion family as a first year French teacher. Before this, she was a student teacher at El Modena in Orange, for six months. She said, “ I wanted to become a teacher to give my students the opportunities that I had, like living abroad and using my French abilities.”

Ms. White teaches all four levels of French (photo by Emily White)

White attended Sonoma State for her undergraduate degree, graduating in 2011. She also attended Cal State Long Beach for her teaching credential that she received in 2022.  White also studied abroad in Paris during her time at Sonoma State. Then she returned to France for an additional two years as a nanny, an English assistant teacher, and to work for her exchange program. 

Before becoming a teacher, White had worked in the business world for nine years as a sales person. Now at Cypress, she is teaching all four levels of French here at Cypress and says that she can see herself being here at Cypress for a long time. Although White loves being a teacher, so far the one thing she doesn’t love is the long hours, because she says, “It’s a 24 hour/seven days a week kind of job, especially as a new teacher.” So far, White’s experience here at Cypress High School is great. She loves the community, the diversity, and the staff overall.