Since the beginning of this school year, I’ve had the honor of taking a Visual Arts course at The Baldwin School of Puerto Rico with the talented Marina Velazquez serving as my teacher. During our classes, we commonly conversed about our lives, and one day, she began talking about her life as a student and her life right after she graduated; I became extremely interested in her journey to find a career as she had said she never expected to be where she is today professionally. As we spoke about her life after high school and all of the different jobs she’s had before this one, I was fortunate enough to learn about her life in both a personal and professional way.
Have you always wanted to be a visual arts teacher? If not, what did you want to do when you were younger?
No, one of the first things I wanted to do was work with animals, so when I was very young I wanted to be a vet.
When did you decide that you wanted to be an educator in the field of the arts?
It wasn’t something I suddenly decided; I was in between jobs and found an arts summer camp (both visual and performing), and that’s where I first gained experience as a teacher dealing with art (I worked at the camp for 3 or 4 years), but I still thought I wouldn’t go for this sort of job. I worked at a museum at the time as well, and realized I didn’t want to work a desk job from 9-5, so through a process of elimination, I landed on a position like this as it was something I was comfortable with and enjoyed the perks the job came with greatly.
What jobs have you had before this one?
I was a secretary at a museum, a dog walker, worked in estate sales, modeling (my least favorite), was a camp counselor, gave museum tours, and worked in retail.
Have you always been interested in art as a whole?
Yes, ever since I was little.
When did you first become interested in working at Baldwin?
When I decided I wanted to go into teaching. I started subbing in schools near my area and Baldwin was the first to reach out to me.
Do you think you could’ve ever imagined your life as it is right now, ten years ago?
Absolutely not, I was studying abroad in Australia at the time as a junior in college.
Up till now, what has been your favorite part of working here at Baldwin?
I’ve been able to experiment with my style as I’ve been here due to the opportunities here at Baldwin, and it’s helped my personal style and artistic progression.
What is your favorite aspect of art to teach to students?
Overall, I’ve enjoyed seeing my students’ personal growth during my time here more than teaching any specific skills.
What has been your favorite project/piece you’ve created/helped with during your time here?
The murals the art club has done here at school in the Overnight Art Marathon hosted in the 2022-2023 school year.
Are there any exciting projects or events in the near future for the Art Department?
We are hoping to do a trip to Italy to focus on the art program’s students.
What is something that you wish to implement in Baldwin’s art program?
The aforementioned trip, and more opportunities to incorporate art on campus.
Who is your biggest artistic inspiration?
My go-to art form has become mosaics as of recently, so my mosaic teacher, Vanessa Rivera. I became her student pre-pandemic and signed up for some of her different classes.
Through this interview, I was able to learn more about the passions of an educator and the things along the road that led her to The Baldwin School of Puerto Rico, eventually, turning her from a substitute teacher to a full-time one who is constantly looked to for artistic assistance and one who has had an impact on so many young minds and hearts. Marina gave me insight into what it means to be a person dedicated to helping others grow and learn, while also learning themselves, and I’m grateful for the knowledge she passed on to me through this interview.
