Angela Dancheva is a new English teacher at SCHS and is excited to start the year teaching in an accepting environment. Transferring from New Valley High School, Dancheva wants to be able to make a direct impact on students who feel disconnected at SCHS.

Alongside teaching English 9 and English 10, Dancheva teaches Specifically Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) to freshmen and sophomores, a class transitioning English language learners to mainstream English classes.

Dancheva earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature at UC Berkeley, where she quickly adapted to her new environment by socializing outside of her academics.

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“I just felt like I learned a lot more outside of the classroom than through a textbook,” Dancheva said. “I had a realization that the institution itself was a place where people went to really change society, or become part of the problem in our society.”

At Berkeley, Dancheva became involved with an organization known as The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights.

“I had been involved in that one specific organization, but also campaigned on campus, fighting for immigrant rights and affirmative action,” Dancheva said.

After graduating, Dancheva continued to fight for others by staying an activist and advocating for the prevention of sexual assault, family deportation and high student tuition. After five years of devoting herself to activism, Dancheva decided to pursue teaching and applied for her credential.

“I applied to the first place I saw accepting applications, which was San Jose State University, and got in,” she said.

After graduating from the San Jose State University single-subject teaching credential program, Dancheva accepted a full-time position at Latino College Prep and transitioned to New Valley High School, a continuation high school in SCUSD. Dancheva explained her intentions behind moving to SCHS and how she hopes to contribute to its environment.

“I really wanted to make a direct impact and intervene with students who kind of feel disconnected from reading and writing and don’t see themselves as readers or writers, so I really wanted to come to SCHS for that purpose,” Dancheva said.

Now at SCHS, Dancheva said she wants to make a difference by helping others and feels SCHS has provided a great environment for her to do that.

“I do feel like the work we do here is really important so that we can make those interventions and help those people that are struggling,” Dancheva said. “I love collaborating with the staff. I feel very accepted here.”