Juliana Carlson, a Spanish teacher here at Oakmont, is always ready to help her students with a friendly smile or a shoulder to cry on.

Connections with students are Carlson’s favorite part of teaching, and she sometimes even jokes that teaching Spanish is just a cover.

“The main thing’s that…connection happens and then…hopefully, I can make some kind of positive impact in the students’ [lives],” Carlson said.

Many of Carlson’s students will attest to the relationships she forms.

“I feel like the kind of person she is she just naturally is very good at connecting with youth,” senior Kiana Pine said.

“I can tell that she… likes her students, and she really cares about them, and she wants to see them succeed,” senior Gustavo Vargas.

Earlier this year, Carlson gave in to her urge to go to Cuba, where she further exhibited her caring nature. The experience, however,  affected her more than she had anticipated.

“It was much stronger, personally to me, than I thought it was going to be,” Carlson said. “For instance, [one] of the things that really struck me is that when a person in Cuba goes to the grocery store to buy something, they don’t have the option to choose. So they eat what there is… what really got me to admire that place more is that, hey, they don’t complain.”

When Carlson was in Cuba, she also met a band, and helped further their career.

“Their connection to the internet is very limited…and so, this guy gave me this, like a flash drive that the tourists had left there for him. And he uploaded his music and he said, ‘Please take it to the United States and do something with this,’” Carlson said.

At first, Carlson was tentative about helping; she did not know anything about the music world. Eventually, her usual helpful personality won over, and she (after research) uploaded their music to multiple music streaming platforms. She even spent hours messaging with them, in order to send paperwork to Chile, so they could participate in a music festival, and finally see the world.

“I went [to Tijuana] with a friend.We gathered as much money as we could and donations as we could, and then we went,” Carlson said.

Carlson also went to Tijuana to better herself and the world.

“It changes you in so many different ways… it’s very humbling… but it fulfills you in a very, very special way, “ Carlson said.

Carlson loves to make connections with everyone she meets, especially in her job at Oakmont. “I think that’s why I teach,… making relationships with the students and trying to have a positive impact in their lives,” Carlson said.