“I did not want to teach,” says Denise Diaz, the new 9th and 10th academic dean and World Language teacher. Diaz grew up in Buffalo, New York, and attended college at SUNY Oswego, just north of Syracuse.  She grew up with a passion for studying Spanish from a young age, ever since she saw a Miss Universe interview at five years old.

“I didn’t understand a word she said, and I’ll never forget that,” said Diaz. “That’s powerful. It was very impactful, her being able to communicate with me without having a clue what she was saying.”

Before pursuing a career in the Spanish classroom, Diaz had originally intended to study communications. However, she found herself stumped by the Physics of Sound class her first year of university. “I was like, it is over!” she said, laughing as she recounted her memory of the class. Afterwards, one of Diaz’s professors urged her to apply to be part of a Second Language Conference in Puerto Rico. Although she didn’t have any desire to study education, Diaz attended the program and discovered a passion for teaching there. “The mentor teachers there taught me how to be an effective educator,” she said. 

When asked about what drew her to Berkeley, Diaz discussed being ready to move outside of the classroom towards a counseling position. After 28 years of teaching, she wanted a change. “When I read the 9th and 10th Dean description, I was like, that’s me!” said Diaz. 

What Diaz loves most about the job is getting to work with the students. When exploring some of the best advice she got about being an educator, Diaz said, “I was taught to never say I teach Spanish, but to say I teach students. Students come first.” She went on to explain how this mentality makes what might seem like a repetitive job so interesting and challenging: “Every year is never the same. The students are different.”

Outside of her passions for Spanish and working with high school students, Diaz is an avid fan of the Buffalo Bills football team and occasionally stress-bakes.