By AMIR MOSALLAIE
Student contributer
The Paw Print: Why did you originally move to California from Poland?
Dominika Watson: I relocated to Northern California with my parents when I was a senior in high school. After that one year my parents moved back and I stayed for college at Caltech.
TPP: When did you begin teaching?
DW: I began teaching at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles in 2005. This is the school that is famous for Jaime Escalante’s math program and their football rivalry with the other East Los Angeles high school Roosevelt. I earned a Chemical Engineering degree and pursued my career in engineering at Applied Materials right after college. I got to do research and develop new technology and a new product for AMAT for two years. As much as that line of work satisfied my love for science, my personality was suffering, and I felt that I should consider a change in my professional career.
TPP: How are things different at Poly than at your previous school?
DW: My previous school was a huge public high school, with the class size around 40 for math classes and 20-30 for English classes. Students rarely collaborated outside of the classroom which is a common sight at Poly. As a teacher I enjoy and appreciate the fact that I can pay a lot more attention to each individual student which gives me comfort and reassurance of our success in learning the material and being able to see elegance in mathematics.
TPP: You also coach the tennis team here at Poly. What’s your tennis experience?
DW: I have been playing tennis since I was six. I coached both girls and boys teams last year at Garfield and we qualified to city invitational playoffs as well as individual playoffs. I enjoy coaching tennis very much.
TPP: How have your first couple weeks here been?
DW: Intense and fulfilling. I have received a lot of support from faculty and staff at Poly which made for a smooth transition into this new environment. I see a lot of smiling faces on campus, and I can sense a lot of positivity, and I like to be a part of it. I have become friends with some other newcomers and we share our new experiences with each other.
TPP: What are you looking forward to for the rest of the school year?
DW: Trips, tennis seasons, academic achievements of my students and starting the next year as a returner.
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