Marissa Raigoza grew up in Selma, the town next to Parlier, and from a young age she felt called to be a teacher. Inspired by her high school English teacher, Mr. Castle, who left the finance world to pursue teaching, she realized that a career should be about passion, not money. As a little girl, she even practiced teaching with her stuffed animals, making chalkboard lessons and attendance rosters. Teaching, she says, was always her calling.
Her favorite quote, “All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother,” by Abraham Lincoln, reflects her personal inspiration. Raigoza credits her late mother for her love of learning and for shaping the teacher she is today. While she once considered becoming a lawyer, she quickly realized that her true love was in stories with characters and plots, not law books. For her, the best part of teaching is the students she gets to work with every day, joking that being around teenagers all day helps her stay “cool.”
Raigoza feels proud to teach in Parlier, where she relates deeply to the students and community. She enjoys the family-like bond among staff and the fun moments with her students. She has witnessed many of her former students succeed as writers, editors, and performers, and while she doesn’t take credit, she feels honored to cheer them on. The biggest challenge she faces is encouraging students to read more in a world dominated by social media. Despite the challenges, she says she would absolutely choose this career again, though she might add more studies to broaden her teaching and explore her creative side in art and design.
