Get to Know Ms. Barajas

On Jan. 14, we had the honor of interviewing one of GALA’s lovely math teachers, Christina Barajas. Ms. Barajas grew up in a small farmland town located in central California. After graduating high school, she attended the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), where she majored in math and scientific computation with a minor in teaching. While studying at UC Davis, she had the opportunity to teach 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders in small towns. With this opportunity, she developed a passion for teaching. After graduating from UC Davis, she applied to a few teaching programs where she was accepted into her dream school, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). When accepted, she was even offered a scholarship and was ready to get her master’s degree, as well as her teaching credentials.

After getting her teaching credentials, Ms. Barajas applied to teach at GALA and now teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, and eighth-grade math, alongside a sixth-grade advisory. Since Ms. Barajas is still finishing up her master’s program, her first year of GALA has been overwhelming, but her love for her students and the welcoming environment she’s been greeted with has made up for it completely. Ms. Barajas states that GALA is fantastic and that she has no words to describe how much she enjoys teaching at it.

One of Ms. Barajas’s big life goals was going to college, and because she was within the first generation of her family to graduate high school, accomplishing this goal was very meaningful to her. Another big goal for Ms. Barajas was getting her master’s degree, and although it was very stressful, she was able to get through it. A current goal she has set for herself is to maintain a healthy work and home life balance due to digital learning making it hard to separate both.

Lastly, Ms. Barajas mentioned that she loves dancing. Her favorite type of dance is cumbia but she took modern dance and ballet classes in college. Also, although she doesn’t consider herself an imaginative person, Ms. Barajas loves museums and art, most recently visiting the Van Gogh Museum.

In conclusion, Ms. Barajas is an incredible teacher. She has a heartwarming personality and loves her students. We hope many people get to know her even better in the future.