Despite hard challenges, Highline’s new mathematics professor wants his students to know they are his drive in becoming a better educator.

Before coming to Highline, Mathematics Professor George Lopez said he had to adjust to teaching at various schools over the years.

“I have been teaching mathematics [for] close to thirty years if we count all the part-time and summer work, and my recent tenure-track position at Yakima Valley College,” he said. 

A tenure-track position is a full time and secured spot within a program at a college.

Prior to moving to Washington, Professor Lopez dove into where he came from and where he lived before.

“I was born in a small town outside Guadalajara, Mexico, raised in Sacramento, CA, and I have been in Yakima since the fall of 1997,” he said. 

Professor Lopez said he worked hard at various colleges and universities to obtain his degrees to get up to this point in his life.

“My first language was Spanish, and I am a first-generation college student. I got my A.A. in mathematics, science and engineering from Sacramento City College, my B.S in mathematics from University of California, Davis, and my M.S in mathematics from Purdue University,” he said. 

Aside from being a mathematics professor, Professor Lopez also said he is a family-oriented person. 

“I am [also a] husband of 35 years, a father of three adult kids, and a grandfather of five,” he said. 

The diverse community that Highline brings to the table is what made him choose to teach at the school, Professor Lopez said.

“I had a couple of choices, but I chose Highline because of my conversations with the hiring committee and our Vice President of Academic Affairs,” he said. “The diversity of Highline is like no other that I have witnessed – I love it.”

A change in environment was one of the few struggles Professor Lopez said he found while adjusting to Highline. 

“There have been a few challenges: 1) Moving after being in one place since 1997 has been an adjustment to say the least – it is unimaginable the amount of stuff we have accumulated; 2) Going through [the] tenure-track process for the second time – finding time to relax is rare; and 3) Trying to navigate my way around here at Highline – mostly everyone has been very helpful,” he said.

Being a role model for his students and meeting other faculty and staff are his primary goals at Highline, Professor Lopez said.

“The most important goal I want to achieve is to be the best version of myself as a mathematics teacher. I want my students to know I am here to advocate for them as they pilot their way through Highline,” he said. “I also would like to find time to get to know my colleagues outside of work.” 

And his students’ goals at Highline are just as important to him as his own personal goals.

“I want my students to know I believe they will succeed and I will stand up for them during their stay here at Highline and as they move on to their next institution,” he said. “I do hope my students are willing to work hard to reach their goals, but I am also aware that some of them are still figuring out how to work for what they want.” 

As hard as it may be to describe himself in one word, Professor Lopez said he came to the terms that one is not enough to encompass his entire journey but finds one to capture it all in the end.

“How can one word describe 50+ years of life? I will say at times I can choose a word that describes me at that moment in time, but for the most part there is no word I know of that describes who I have become over the years,” he said. “However, for the sake of Highline readers, I will go with COMPELLING.”