Mr. Mario Lopez is a new math teacher here at South El Monte High School.  He has been teaching at South El Monte since the start of this school year. Mr. Lopez has also been tutoring at South for 4 years, and this is his first year teaching as a full-time teacher.  Mr. Lopez says he enjoys teaching math, “Yes I enjoy teaching math a lot and my goal is to make math more enjoyable.”  Mr. Lopez teaches mainly sophomores but also teaches juniors and seniors.  He teaches Integrated math 2 but also teaches pre-calculus, AP statistics for math, and also does academic decathlon.  

Mr. Lopez wanted to become a teacher to be a mentor to students just like the people who used to teach him when he was younger. “When it came to choosing a subject, math came to my head right away.”  The people who inspired him to do what he does when he was younger was, Mr Castillo, Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. VanEmple, Ms. Wong, Ms. Vera-Rivas, and Mrs. Frias. He attended South El Monte High School when he was younger and now teaches alongside the teachers who taught him.  “At first it’s fun to get to know my former teachers and understand their decisions, and now I know first hand how they made decisions.”  After Mr. Lopez graduated from high school, he went to college starting with Rio Hondo for a year and a half. After that period of time, he transferred to Cal State LA, where he then studied and got his bachelor’s degree, and his credentials to be able to teach.  

Mr. Lopez’s students love having him as a teacher. Yazmin Gonzalez, a student in Mr. Lopez’s class said “Mr.Lopez isn’t just a teacher to me, he has helped me, and guided me through some tough times no matter what day it is, he always seems to have a smile on his face, and finds a way to make everything possible. He is an amazing teacher leader that wants the best for all of his students, he inspires me and encourages me to always see a better tomorrow.”

Another student, Leah Acosta said “Mr. Lopez is an amazing teacher who is very passionate about teaching and is very supportive towards students and making sure they succeed. I admire Mr. Lopez as a teacher for always pushing me to succeed, and wanting to better me for the future. I want to thank him for teaching me to have patience and to believe in myself more, in what I can do without knowing I can do it if that makes sense.” Another student, Jayleen De La Cruz said “Mr. Lopez is one of the best teachers that I have had the pleasure of having. He is patient, caring, and devoted to helping his students thrive and succeed. He makes sure to not only teach students so they learn, but he also cares about each student individually. Although it might be his first year here. Mr. Lopez is making an impact.”