Claremont High School just got a new addition to its World Languages team: Rosana Franco. Spanish was her first language, and after reconnecting with it in high school, she decided to turn it into a career. She majored in Spanish and Anthropology at UC Berkeley, followed by a master’s in Urban Planning, where she worked with nonprofits and city policy before ultimately returning to her first passion: language. 

In class, Franco keeps things structured and fun with music, partner activities, and several projects (including their most recent research presentation on Spanish-speaking countries) that aim to bring Hispanic culture to life. She hopes to help students see Spanish as more than just a requirement. As a teacher, her goal is to pitch the beauty of the language so that her students may eventually recognize its benefits for travel, careers, and even connecting with family. 

When Franco is not teaching, you will find her hiking, browsing bookstores, sipping tea, or chilling with her cat. If her students had to describe her in one word, she hopes it would be “compassionate.” Franco hopes her students take away one piece of advice from her class. “You are already brilliant,” Franco said. “My job is just to spark that brilliance within you.”