By Gio Arteaga, Emi Gruender, and Mia Hanuska
If you’re looking for a super chill teacher who lets you talk with your friends (thank you for putting up with us Daniels) while learning stoichiometry, or as she calls it, MOLEiometry, teacher Julia Daniels is the one for you. She inhabits room 61 where she graces her Freshman Biology and Sophomore Chemistry classes, splitting students into lab groups for fun activities, handing out worksheets, and proctoring tests. Turning the temperature down, she keeps her room the same temperature as her room number to keep students on the edge of their seats as she talks. Questions are masterfully answered with thoughtful responses and you can tell she has a great passion teaching. We were lucky enough to find an empty spot in her busy schedule for a quick interview about her years as a high schooler and take a trip down memory lane.
Where did you go to highschool + what was the mascot?
I went to SouthField-Lathrup High School. We were the Chargers—our mascot was a knight on a horse. Our school colors were red, white, and black, just like Westmont!
When did you graduate?
1982
Favorite subjects/classes in highschool?
Biology, Chemistry– I think the sciences. I’ve always been a science person.
Most challenging class?
English, I’m a science brain. It was hard for me to write papers. In highschool, it was a struggle.
What was your GPA?
Like a 3.8?
What was your favorite memory from highschool?
I did French a lot. That was one of my favorite classes—my French teacher was an army brat. She was really cool; she traveled the world.
Do you remember your teachers? If so, who stands out?
Let’s see, which teacher stood out in high school? Probably Mr. Cortegas. He was my biology teacher and we did lots of dissections and I found that particularly interesting.
When did you know you were going to be a teacher?
I knew I was going to be a teacher probably around 1987 when I was around 24. I knew that I wanted to really dive in when I volunteered at a differently abled camp as a science teacher, and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a science teacher.
What kind of kid were you as a teenager?
I swam competitively on the synchronized swim team and I did run cross country (long distance). I wouldn’t say I’m a jock—maybe more like an athlete. I was obsessed with swimming.