After nine years of teaching world history and being able to shape the minds of future leaders, Elizabeth Gonzalez has been announced as Killough’s Teacher of the Year.

It wasn’t until Gonzalez was in college when she decided to become a history teacher. She initially went to University of North Texas to study music, but later transferred to the University of Houston where she took more history classes.

“As [the class was] going through the history program we were exploring careers that you can do with a history degree and teaching was one of those,” Gonzalez said. “Since I was going to school to be a music director it was kind of like teaching so I decided to get my teacher certification and start teaching.”

Once Gonzalez graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in Chicano history, she decided to work at her old high school.

“My parents were immigrants, so [teachers] were the people that were the most important in my life that had a college education and had world experience,” Gonzalez said. “I remember how important they were for me so I wanted to go back and [teach] in the same high school I graduated from and so as soon as I graduated from college, that’s where I went to go work.”

After working at her old high school in Houston for two years she moved to Lewisville and started teaching at Main. Two years later when the school separated into three campuses Gonzalez started working at Killough where she has found she can sometimes easily relate to her students.

“I’ve heard this from previous students that it’s nice for them to have a teacher that looks like them; that is not intentional, but I think that it’s important that your staff reflects the community that you serve,” Gonzalez said. “The fact that I can relate to kids because they might have an immigrant story like my parents or because I’m bilingual or because I grew up in a place where things were rough, I think that I contribute that way.”

Not only is Gonzalez able to connect with her students, but she also impacts them the same way her teachers did.

“There’s been times I wanted to quit and times I wanted to give up,” sophomore Antwone Barber said. “But she wouldn’t let me so she has ultimately been a figure in my life by not letting me give up.”

Inspiring students has not been the only thing she has contributed to the school; she has a unique way of teaching and it stands out to her students.

“The fact that she has a different teaching style than what I’m used to [is what I enjoy about her],” sophomore Tra Tymony said. “I’m used to teachers that aren’t as personal as she is because usually she gives examples of how she was during that time period.”

One of the reasons why some believe Gonzalez won Teacher of the Year is her ability to go above and beyond for her students.

“I am super privileged to meet like two to three hundred new human beings a year and I think that is the coolest thing,” Gonzalez said. “I think education is one of those things that people can’t take away from you.”