Mrs. Florendo has been at Cathedral Catholic for four years as a Catholic Faith teacher. At Cathedral Catholic, faith is built into our everyday lives. But for many students, Mrs. Florendo’s classroom is where the faith becomes something personal that each student can live out.

Arla Florendo grew up in San Diego and started off as a student at Uni. “It was not my plan to be a teacher. I wanted to work with animals,” Florendo shares. She was originally a youth minister working in a parish and helping others learn about the faith. Then later, she says that “I decided to come back to my own waters” and teach at Cathedral Catholic. Her past experience from teaching kids at a parish helped her easily fill the role of being a Catholic Faith teacher.

Mrs. Florendo’s favorite part of her job is “interacting with the students” and seeing them grow as teenagers. She also states that “seeing the change from not knowing something to seeing the light bulb go off in their head” is a reason why she loves teaching.

As a Faith teacher, students love stepping into her class every day to learn about God and the Bible. Student Evelyn Salmen ’28 says, “I love her class as it’s super peaceful and a safe space.” She also commented on how the religion class is fun and enjoyable. Mrs. Florendo teaches Catholic Faith 10 and Campus Ministry 11 and many students wish they had her for more years. “We all missed her while she was on maternity leave,” Salmen explains. Evelyn along with many other students are happy she is back now after being gone for over four months.

Another student, Emilia Gimasheva ’28 states that “my favorite thing about her is her constant enthusiasm for teaching and understanding.” Emilia is in her Catholic Faith 10 class and has become more interested in what Catholic education offers. “You can tell that she truly cares about her students and their learning,” Gimasheva says. Overall, Emilia loves the atmosphere in the class and comments on her creative lectures.

Mrs. Florendo doesn’t just teach the basics, she goes above and beyond for her students and is always looking out for them. Her endless hard work and passion towards teaching others about the Catholic Faith are inspiring for others.