“Accept what happens in life,” Ms. Coria said. “Learn from it and then move on from it. “
New AP Computer Science teacher, Ms. Sophia Coria, went through many hardships that helped shape the person she is now. Ms. Coria had her baby daughter Samantha Rose when she was just 18. The pregnancy was unexpected and a complete surprise to her since she had just graduated from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente and had expected to go to college soon after.
“I experienced prejudice, and adults thought that they were able say their opinion about it,” Ms Coria said. “But there was nothing else I could do; I had to get my life straight.”
Ms. Coria believes that people often have a misconception that once teenagers get pregnant, they ruin their lives because in the future they won’t have the time or dedication to go to a university or maintain a stable job.
However, she knows this is not what always happens, as she had to work harder than others during her teenage years to give Samantha, her daughter, stability and a roof to live under.
As she raised Samantha, she managed to simultaneously study in college and work fulltime. After earning her AA in Graphic Design at FIDM Los Angeles, she studied at the University of La Verne for a BA in Communications and went to the University of Phoenix for a Master’s in secondary education with an emphasis in Mathematics.
With the responsibility of course load, Ms. Coria still had to return home late each night to care for Samantha. But even when times were difficult and she felt extremely overwhelmed, seeing her daughter smile made her want to push forward and overcome all her difficulties.
“I don’t regret the decisions I made.” Ms Coria said. “I think I am where I am supposed to be: with my students.”
Striving to be a good role model for Samantha, Ms. Coria decided to become a teacher. She thinks of all her students as her own, and seeing them grow into young adults makes her feel proud. She states that once people get to be her students, they will always continue to be her students.
Though Ms. Coria once thought that she was going to fulfill her lifelong dream of working in Hollywood, she realized her life changed for the better after giving birth to Samantha and becoming a teacher.
“I am here for my students; I found my home in teaching.” Ms. Coria said. “I don’t think it would have been so meaningful to me if I had been in Hollywood because I know I have inspired my students in some way. Anybody can go to college. If I did it, you can do it.”
Ms. Coria encourages students to always keep going because sometimes things just do not turn the way people expect them to be.
