Our teachers are the people we look up to and aspire to be. No one knows why they choose the profession, but they are here nonetheless. But today, we want to introduce WR’s newest teacher, Yesenia Reynoso.
Reynoso was inspired by her 5th-grade teacher and her mother, two of the biggest influences in a young child’s life. She was one of those kids who were determined and sought their dream.
“I became a teacher because my fifth-grade teacher was very energetic and excited to teach daily,” Reynoso said. “He made it look like it was so much fun! Once teaching was my career goal, I never really thought about doing anything else.”
From the very start, it seemed like she was interested in shaping future students, seeing how she had never set off on anything other than the goal she made when she was only in 5th grade.
She chose Weston Ranch High School because she attended this school for all four years of her high school career. She grew up in Weston Ranch, and she loves the feeling of being back here. She left for a short four years to get her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis (about an hour’s drive away from Stockton).
She says, “I always knew that teaching was for me. I am not sure why, but my family and friends always told me I would be a good teacher. My mom even has pictures of me playing school with my childhood best friends when I was a little girl.”
Reynoso’s mom was an immense help during the process of getting into college. She was the first in her household to attend a 4-year university, so it became her goal to follow all the resource meetings to get as much information about applying to colleges. Once she was at UC Davis, she knew her responsibility was to keep up with all her courses and extracurriculars.
“Transitioning into college courses and living away from home was a challenge,” she exclaims. She failed two classes in her first year and decided to change her major. It was a struggle, but she knew her long-term goal was just on the other side of the college finish line. So she went to tutoring and made friends to study with after classes. Her short-term goals of passing her classes a quarter term at a time began to feel more manageable once she asked for help.
She is a terrific human being who strived for greatness and obtained it. The WRHS newspaper reached out to her because her story is unique. She tells a story no one else can; once you go for something, it is only a matter of time before you can achieve it.
