By Oralis Ward | Staff Writer

   To the dismay of students, today marks the last day of Assistant Principal Eva Shin’s  journey at Gabrielino High School. She will embark upon a new adventure at Sparks Middle School in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District (HLPUSD) starting next week. 

   Shin’s departure is a result of her emphasis on discovering new opportunities to digest and learn from. 

   “For me, it’s always been about learning,” stated Shin. “I’ve really been thinking through things this year. I’ve been thinking about growth and learning for myself. I decided in the spring to start looking, [and] a friend of mine sent me a posting for a new job opening.”

   Deciding to leave Gabrielino was a difficult decision, especially considering how much Shin lost to the pandemic during her three years here.    

  “I’m deeply sad to leave Gabrielino,” Shin said. “I feel like I made great relationships here. People have been really kind to me and welcoming. It is a very special community [and I have had] such a great time getting to know the students.”

   In her new position at Sparks, Shin is returning to familiar territory as HLPUSD is where she was originally hired as an English teacher. However, being a middle school assistant principal will be different from being a high school assistant principal. 

  “The team will be significantly smaller, while here [at Gabrielino, I’m] working with a larger team [and with more students],” Shin stated.  “In a way, there’s a lot of benefits [for a smaller team], but you really have to get along and be on the same page when making decisions.”

  At Gabrielino, Shin was in charge of student curriculum and instruction. During the pandemic, however, Shin’s responsibilities dramatically changed.

    “In that beginning year [of COVID-19], I was overseeing attendance, ASB, student discipline, and the school emergency plan,” stated Shin. “Collaboration and communication were so important because there was so much that was new that needed to be created right away […] including [2020] senior awards and graduation.”

  In the three years that Shin has spent working with Gabrielino students and staff, she has made unforgettable memories. 

   “When creating the virtual graduation, [Mr. Lopez, another student who was fond of filmmaking, many others, and I] were able to creatively collaborate with all of our other interests and ideas to create something that was reflective of Gabrielino,” Shin recalled.  “That was a really great memory. We had so much fun figuring it out, and I just have this clear memory of doing a rolling shot and […] the moments of that were really hilarious.”