Suyapa Gomez, bilingual English as a Second Language teacher at East Campus the past two years, now is director of the Northeast Campus.

Dr. M. Annette Cluff, superintendent of The Varnett Public School, made the announcement Monday, July 2, 2012.

A native of Honduras, Mrs. Gomez was raised in a family that highly values education. Her father, a medical doctor, emphasized at an early age that education makes a difference in life and demanded that his family excel in everything it did.

“One of my brothers did not like school and struggled with math and science and he became my first student,” Mrs. Gomez said. “I tried to be creative…and used different strategies to ensure that he retained the information.” Before long, her brother’s classmates were coming to her house for help. As time went on, Mrs. Gomez entered college and had a part time job as a math teacher in a Honduran high school.

In 2004, Mrs. Gomez came to the United States. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and took post graduate courses in economics at the University of Houston and Wichita State University. She started work as a substitute teacher for the Pasadena Independent School District and during her first year received a certificate as the best substitute in the district. As her interest in identifying the needs of bilingual children grew, she moved to the Deer Park Independent School District, where her peers motivated her to become part of the team. With that in mind, she enrolled in the Region 4 Alternative Certification Program and obtained her bilingual certification. She learned through a friend about an ESL opening at Varnett and she got the position at East Campus in September 2010.

“I have always been passionate about education and am a firm believer that ‘A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste’ (the key message of The United Negro College Fund),” Mrs. Gomez said. “Being an effective teacher is one of the greatest responsibilities an individual can hold.”

She said her vision as director of the Northeast Campus is to “empower students to become successful and become learners of life.”

“Our mission is to provide a learning environment that fosters learning and respect for diversity, responsible students willing to work hard and teachers who deliver teaching and learning simultaneously by using differentiated instruction to achieve the results and training of the 21st century.”

Dr. Cluff said Mrs. Gomez “did an outstanding job” at East Campus and emphasized that her bilingual skills will be a huge asset at Northeast. “She brings diversity to our campus and will be able to communicate directly with our Spanish-speaking parents,” Dr. Cluff said.

Mrs. Gomez is married and has four children.