As the new school year bustles with activity and the freshman find their footing on a new campus, Ale Posada also gets comfortable in her new position as the Buena Speaks Journalism advisor.
Posada taught middle school for seven years before landing at Buena last year, teaching English and co-leading the Associated Student Body (ASB). From the second she stepped foot on campus, she knew she was in the right place.
“I was about to quit teaching, [but then] I came here,” Posada said. “After a couple months I just loved [Buena] so much. The students are amazing, and the staff is so collaborative and accepting.”
As much as she is happy to be at Buena, Buena is also equally happy to have her. With just one year under her belt, she has already made a big impact on many students’ lives through her teaching.
As much as she has experience in the English department, Posada is no stranger to journalism articles and press passes. Having earned a degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Journalism, she started her journey as a staff writer for The Echo, the student newspaper for California Lutheran University, and eventually landed an internship with The Today Show.
She knew journalism was her calling when she was writing one of her first stories about Delna Jacobs a 92-year-old woman who lived life vivaciously. Through her interview with Jacobs, Posada learned that listening to and telling other people’s stories was one of “the best ways to learn [about life]” and that there is always wisdom to be passed on.
“[It] was my dream job… just being part of the culture in general, but… I realized it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do, so I discovered teaching… and I ended up loving it [even more],” Posada said.
With a minor in English, Posada was able to start teaching. Little did she know, teaching English was just the beginning and when she was offered the last-minute position as the journalism teacher, she lept at the chance to teach an elective she loved.
Many fellow teachers, such as Department English teacher Antoinette Perez are rooting for Posada as she enters the new world of journalism teaching. Perez knows Posada can take the program to high levels as she saw the impact she had in the classroom last year.
“She creates a safe space in her classroom for her students. She has high expectations for them, she pushes them, and she challenges them,” Perez said. “She supports them, and she does it in a way that makes them feel like she is [not just a teacher] but also a support system.”
As she gears up for the year, Posada has several goals in mind to turn Buena Speaks into the nationally recognized program she has always wanted it to be. She hopes to be more collaborative with Buena Today in hopes to get more broadcast journalism out there.
Posada is also considering dividing journalism into two different classes, beginner and advanced, and possibly teaching an additional media literacy class. Although Posada has these big goals, her main focus is on the students within reach.
As the year carries on, Posada will continue to build and love the journalism program at Buena, and she only hopes that Buena Speaks readers will grow with the newspaper as well.
“Journalists have a big responsibility, but we are also learning. I hope that everyone reading keeps that in mind,” Posada said. “We are going to fail forward together, and we are going to learn from that and grow [as a team].”
