Welcome to Burlingame: New Teacher Profiles

Far before Alexandra Gray found herself teaching ethnic studies, government and macroeconomics at Burlingame, she wanted to study and pursue business.  Gray attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and briefly worked at the accounting behemoth Ernst & Young. It was there Gray was inspired to switch careers. “I realized I didn't want a desk job where it's sitting, staring at a screen all ...

Government and Advanced Placement (AP) United States History are stressful classes: the reading is endless; the lectures are constant; and keeping track of every name, date and era in the curriculum can feel impossible. Despite these challenges, Elizabeth Bellas believes she can provide academic and emotional support to every student that walks into her classroom. “Burlingame can be stressful for a lot of ...

Stephanie Lee, Burlingame’s newest physical education (PE) teacher, is excited to get to know her students this year. Previously, Lee taught science at two other schools in the Bay Area: Archbishop Riordan, a Catholic high school in San Francisco, and Parkside Middle School. When a job opportunity to teach PE at Burlingame popped up over the summer, Lee chose to apply. She’s always wanted to be a P...

New geometry teacher Stephanie Loi always felt she was destined to be a teacher.  In fact, it was teaching that got Loi through a tumultuous high school experience. By the end of her junior year, she had quit basketball, her favorite sport, and experienced a falling out with her friends. Disconnected from everyone, she began searching for a saving grace.  Loi decided to join the Teacher’s...

Nicole Mauro’s family has deep roots in the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD). Mauro is a 1988 Burlingame graduate with parents who attended San Mateo High School, a brother and grandparent that attended Burlingame and a daughter who currently goes to Mills High School. And this year, Mauro began her first year as a teacher at Burlingame. “So we’ve got three generations of SMUHS...

Amanda Brown, a new English 3 teacher joined the Burlingame community this fall.  Originally from Massachusetts, Brown spent four years working in public relations in New York after receiving her undergraduate degree from Barnard College. However, her career took a turn while working as a volunteer English tutor for the US citizenship exam. At that point, Brown realized that teaching was her true followi...

After working various jobs within the scientific engineering field, Elizabeth Sendil entered a new era of her career last May as a Biology and Environmental Science teacher at Burlingame. As a result of her father's work as a nuclear engineer, Sendil was introduced to the intriguing world of science from a young age. Following in his footsteps, she knew she was destined for a career in science. ...

Most people know a few words or phrases of Italian — ‘Ciao,’ ‘Grazie’ or ‘Prego’ — but learning the whole language isn’t easy. Burlingame’s newest Italian teacher, Celine Tan, will apply her mindset of personal growth, combined with her meticulous work ethic, to the difficult task of teaching the language to high school students. In Italy, Tan worked as a translator for two years and later tri...

New to the science department, Micheal Wu didn’t take a traditional path to education. After years of pursuing medicine, Wu realized teaching was what he really wanted to do. “After graduating college, I was on the pre-med route,” Wu said. “I noticed that doing my work in medicine, you know, I didn't mind it, but I didn't love it.”  Once Wu gained his teaching credentials, he knew that...

Hannah Korslund, Burlingame’s newest chemistry teacher, is looking to begin the next chapter of her young career by pursuing her passion for science and education. “I wanted to combine my love for kids with how much I liked chemistry by becoming a chemistry teacher,” Korslund said. Outside the classroom, she is an athlete and coaches Burlingame’s junior varsity girls’ volleyball team.  ...