Ms. Karla Aviles is a science teacher at LACES who is recognized for teaching 9th grade Interactions and AP Physics. She has been working at LACES and has been a part of the Science Department at LACES since 2020. Her love for science stemmed from her fifth-grade teacher who made the students complete various science projects.
“Since elementary school, I had a really good fifth grade teacher who liked to do a lot of science projects.” said Aviles, “They made us do things like add baking soda and vinegar to make the fake volcano erupt, and it was just like seeing how passionate he was about what he was teaching really made me like science as a whole.”
Her initial plan for her future at a young age wasn’t going to become a teacher, she actually wanted to become either a doctor or a nurse which is why she majored in Biology for her Bachelors Degree at California Lutheran University. Later down the road as she found an interest within teaching, she obtained her teaching credentials and Masters Degree at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). After building up
her portfolio with all of her educational background, she applied to LAUSD, where she was presented with the opportunity to become a substitute teacher.
“They’re like, you could become a substitute and we can put you in the classroom. Immediately, I was like, I don’t want to do that. I want to find something that works for me,” said Aviles.
She always wanted to aim high and push her own limits, she kept the bar for standards high. That was when she was referred to Ms. Lesure and had the opportunity to get interviewed to work at LACES as a full time teacher. “I got a call from Ms. Lesure and we scheduled the interview just by me doing research online. It sounded like an academically rigorous school, it sounded like a good opportunity to kind of grow in my profession,” said Aviles.
Ever since then, her experience with teaching and community grows day by day. Aviles expresses that throughout her years working at LACES is seen to be like a “mini family” and appreciates the collaborative environment amongst her colleagues.
“Ms. Ayorinde was just the most amazing mentor teacher I could have. I mean, she made sure that I had enough support from day one and just made sure that I was prepared every single day when I went into my classroom, just trying to get the hang of things,” said Aviles.
At first, she had a shaky experience at the start of teaching due to the fear of public speaking but over time with experience, her confdence started to build up within that fear and created a connection between her students and their needs.
“I still kind of have a fear of public speaking but what ended up happening is like when you’re up there, you realize it’s not just about being in front of people and explaining things. I really love talking about what I do. I kind of overcame that fear over time.” said Aviles.
Getting better at teaching meant her ability to focus on the students’ needs. Aviles shares that she can come of as strict at frst which makes the students a bit shy but then throughout the school year she establishes amazing relationships with the students.
For future Aviles, she still is willing to challenge herself by furthering her education in certain subjects such as Physics.
“I would like to do a redo for some of the subjects that I didn’t really do well in, like physics. I was really bad at physics in University. I passed the class but I didn’t really fully understand it. And now that I’m teaching it. It’s like I’ve discovered this new passion for it, because it’s such an interesting topic. So I’d love to just go back to school and try to redo some of those courses again,” said Aviles.
Aviles is still unsure about her plans in the upcoming years but is considering staying at LACES and taking over the Science Department to support future science educators or get involved with a diferent school community in the valley, which is close to home for her. Her journey as a teacher can be described as an adventurous one considering how at a young age she had a diferent plan for herself. She describes the path she is on right now as being the right choice for her.
“Don’t be afraid to fail, because at the end of the day, you might have a plan for yourself in the future. But things can change. Life isn’t going in a straight path, you just have to be able to find and adapt and adjust to what’s happening around you, and you’re gonna find people around you that are gonna help make you better,” said Aviles.
