October 2021 – Alexandra Carrillo is a tennis coach and a teacher at O. Henry.  This interview is about her experience coaching tennis and teaching.

Question: What made you want to be a tennis coach and did you play when you were younger?

Answer: I’ve always played tennis since I was young, and I ended up playing college tennis. Ever since then, I decided to be a coach.

Question: Why did you choose teaching as a career?

Answer: I’ve always wanted to become a teacher ever since I was in kindergarten. My love for teaching grew when I was in high school, since I was a teacher’s kid.

Question: What year was the toughest for you and what year was the best for you?

Answer:  I’d have to say this year was the toughest for me because there are just a lot of extra things that we are being told to do. My best year would have to be my second year, and I don’t really know why.

Question: If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing right now?

Answer: I would be a stylist at Julian Gold.

Question: How old were you when you first started teaching?

Answer:  I was 23 or 22; I don’t remember exactly.

Question: What are the benefits of teaching and negatives of teaching?

Answer:  I would have to say changing children’s lives everyday is beneficial. The negatives are that some days we have bad days and some we have good days.

Question: Outside of teaching, what other hobbies do you like?

Answer: I play tennis, I run, and I like to read.

Question: When you feel overwhelmed by things, what helps you calm down?

Answer: Going outside or playing tennis is what usually helps me relax and relieve stress.

Question: What advice do you have for kids that want to be a teacher or a coach?

Answer: Keep doing what you are doing, learn from your coach and your teacher, and don’t listen to the negative stuff about being a coach or being a teacher.