She is a proud Phoenix from the class of 2002. She has two daughters, a dog, and a loving husband. She can often be caught curled up with a book, and enjoys cooking and any activity that brings her family together.
“We go bowling, fishing, we play at TopGolf, and go to the batting cages to blow off steam,” she said. “We especially love going to concerts; rodeo is my favorite time of year.”
Currently she is teaching AP/Dual credit English and Student Leadership at Sotomayor High School, where she also sponsors the Senior class and runs Student Council. However, she was not always a teacher. Caitlin’s first career after high school was as a restaurant manager at Olive Garden, but after 7 years of crazy hours and smelling like pasta all the time, she decided to leave the service industry and become a teacher.
“I always wanted to teach; I would constantly take on roles at the restaurant in training so I could teach new employees and managers,” she said. “My favorite teacher, and inspiration to become a teacher myself, was my junior year English teacher at HCHS, Ms. Willstrop. We still keep in touch and she is my friend and mentor now.”
Caitlin began teaching English in 2013 and immediately took on Journalism, Newspaper, and Yearbook as well. She fell in love with it and spent eight years at Medina Valley building and running the Journalism program while also teaching English and coaching girls soccer and the swim team. She then moved to Randolph ISD and taught Yearbook, English, and Creative Writing before returning to Northside, as a teacher this time, at Sotomayor.
“I believe my ability to work under pressure, manage my time wisely, tackle multiple areas at the same time, and persevere through difficult odds all came from the skills and work ethic I developed as a student at HCHS. It has made me a successful teacher and human,” she said. “I loved my years at Health Careers and, while I did not end up in the medical field, all of the skills I learned there have most definitely come in handy. I could not have asked for a better education.” She credits her Med Term class for helping her score higher on SAT and ACT exams, the Patient Care class for CPR and First aid certifications, and the Medical Billing/Coding course for providing her with a skill she could use to pay the bills when needed.
And now she gets to watch her own daughter follow in her footsteps. Camile is a freshman at HCHS this year.
“It has been so fun seeing how much the culture and campus has grown since my time there. I am glad Camile still gets to have all the fun ‘typical’ high school experiences like Mums and Homecoming we didn’t get back in the day. I went to this year’s volleyball tournament and had so much fun,” she said. “It’s also crazy walking the halls now and seeing little pieces of myself still there. I love pointing out my old locker and the Medical Murals I helped create, leaving my name on the wall forever (see if you can find me!), and reminiscing about when the Latin room used to be the band hall and the teacher’s lounge used to be the library.”
Caitlin’s next career goal is to find her way back to HCHS.
“I would love to teach at Health Careers one day,” she said. “I keep my eyes open for an opportunity every year. It was such a great place to learn growing up and I would love to share that experience with the next generation of phoenixes.”
