Tucked away in the second floor, a classroom filled with an almost constant buzz of chatter belongs to Emilia Ford. Ford teaches Language Arts and World Issues in Composition. 

“I’m an English learner, so English is actually my second language,” Ford said, while explaining why she chose to be an English teacher. 

“I just remember my teachers really encouraging me as I was learning … They were very patient with me,”  she said. “And then, they were also emotional supports through hard times. … So I wanted to be able to, even if it’s just for one student, that maybe learns differently, I wanted to be that person that could help them out.” 

One of the main teachers that supported her was Dr. Adrian Arancibia, an English professor and author at Miramar College. 

“I’ve known Emilia [for] about 24 years,” Arancibia said, “She was my third grade student in a bilingual class at John Otis Elementary school in National City, CA,”.

“She had a tough time growing up and she carried the weight of those experiences on her shoulders,” he said. “She didn’t talk like a kid, she had a great vocabulary in both languages and was wise … And by and by, I asked her old classmates that I still keep in contact with if they had heard anything. Eventually we connected and I helped her in terms of guidance in college and teacher credentialing programs.” 

Arancibia reached out to Ford after she graduated high school, offering support and mentorship.

“He’s the one who encouraged me to go to college and he … wrote me a letter of recommendation. [Him and his wife] were both great motivators,” Ford said. 

Ford received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Riverside in English and her masters in teaching from Seattle University. This is now Ford’s third year teaching. 

“I’m kind of all over the place,” Ford said while describing her teaching style. 

 “I guess when I’m thinking about what I’m going to do for the day, I really want kids to talk to each other … so it’s a lot of discussion based learning.” 

“I want kids to realize the things they do on a normal day to day basis … they’re already doing the things that I’m trying to teach them,”  she said. “And that they’re all capable of doing it, there’s no one that’s just like ‘I’m just not good at this like everyone is capable of doing it. Our brains just might not fit the way that our system has you learn it.”

Outside of the classroom, Ford enjoys hiking and going on road trips. 

“My favorite place I’ve ever been is Sedona, Arizona. I love the desert,” she said. 

Ford also has a boyfriend with whom she shares a 15 year old dog, Fluffy, and a four year old cat, Freya. 

“She’s a great person and a caring soul,” Arancibia said. “She’s the next generation of teachers that comes out of my lineage. It’s cheesy, but being a teacher is like being a Jedi. It’s a calling, it’s not a job. You do it for the love of teaching. I know Ms. Ford will continue that tradition.”