Bishop O’Dowd High School welcomed several new faculty and staff members in August, each of them bringing special talents and skills to share with our students..
Kevin Anderson: In his 9th year as a teacher, Kevin joins our Social Studies department and will be teaching Geo-History, Government and Economics. Kevin graduated from UC Berkeley, earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, and then attended Stanford’s School of Education to earn his Master’s in Education. Two aspects of our charism resonated in particular with Kevin: Social Justice and Community in Diversity.
Elizabeth Herp: Elizabeth Herp worked part-time in the Development Office last year and will now serve as an administrative assistant for the Office of the President. Originally from New Orleans, Elizabeth is a graduate of the College of Charleston in South Carolina and holds a J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans. Elizabeth’s son, Mason, is a member of the Class of 2022.
Carmen LaRoche: In her second decade teaching, Carmen continues to be an enthusiastic Spanish language teacher. She graduated from UCLA with her degrees in Italian and Special Fields and Spanish Language and Literature. A lover of language she is fluent in Spanish, Italian and English and has studied Arabic. She is finishing up her thesis which will complete her Masters of Arts in Teaching and Mastery of Spanish as a Foreign Language at the Universitat de Barcelona. Carmen will be teaching Spanish 1 and 4.
Jessica Murach: Jessica returns to our English Department after taking a short break to earn her Master’s in English at the University of Chicago. She is excited to return to O’Dowd to be able to continue her good work in Honors English 3, Expository Writing and English 1.
Celina Reynes ’12: Celina is thrilled to return to her alma mater as a teacher in the English department. Since her salutatorian address with ukulele, she has completed her degree in English from Wellesley and taught English at The Quarry Lane school. She will be teaching English 1 Honors.
Mario Mihalik: Mario started his teaching career in Puerto Rico and has taught science for the past 6 years, most recently in Berkeley. Mario will be joining the Science Department and teaching Science and the Environment. A fun fact about Mario is that he is trilingual – English, Spanish and Slovakian.
Willie ‘TJ’ King ’11: We welcome Willie (TJ) King back to O’Dowd. TJ is an alum who is eager to return as the Student Life Associate. TJ will work in three areas: student activities, counseling and the retreat program. He will likely serve as an assistant football coach within our program as well. TJ attended and graduated from UC Davis where he played football and studied sociology and African/African American Studies. He comes to us from having spent three years as a college access advisor and coach. His primary responsibilities included supporting students throughout their transition from high school to college, ensuring their graduation track.
Isabel Rodriguez-Vega: Isabel officially joins the O’Dowd staff after spending a year with us as an Americorps Volunteer. She will be the General Sustainability and Living Lab Programs Coordinator focusing on administering the Beyond the Classroom, Lessons in the Lab and Green Dragon programs, facilitating the Eco-Leaders class, and on monitoring and improving the systems of sustainability on campus. Isabel earned her BA in Environmental Science at Northwestern University and her Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language at the University of Salamanca.