USD-Magazine-Spring-2025

“It goes back to accompanying people through their journey — no matter what that journey is. If we are really putting our faith into action, we are going to be Christ for each other.”

genuine experience. We were the welcome committee, tasked with showing students that this is a place where everyone belongs. I took that to heart.”

“I had these really bright young students, but it was our first go around,” she recalled. “Then we went out and won the whole quiz! It was a top 10 life moment for me, and I always tell this story because the girls worked as a team, they were so proud of their achievement, everyone mattered and they had this cohesive success.” Hooper acknowledges that leaving “the world’s most perfect microclimate” in San Diego would take the perfect job opportunity. It came last year when a recruiter connected her with Newton, a Catholic all-girls school sponsored by the religious sisters. Founded in 1880, the school has an enrollment of about 375 girls in grades 5-12. “This journey has been one of grace,” said Hooper. “I inherited an institution that’s celebrating 145 years, but it’s also asking questions about its relevance in the next 145 years. Our work is to build community now, but also inspire the future.” Within the current generation, there is what Hooper deems a “healthy rebellion,” as these young women, from increasingly secular backgrounds, search for their faith and place in the world. “There is an impatience of inequality, and I think it is a healthy thing for our faith tradition to wrestle with,” she said. “They’re looking for where they might belong, they have questions, and faith can offer a really meaningful place for them to ask those questions.” The most important duty of an educator in a student’s quest for self-discovery is to walk the path alongside them, Hooper said. “The joy is in the accompaniment. As educators, we teach and that’s vital, but the real work is in relationship-building. I find such deep meaning in being a part of a child’s journey.” — Matthew Piechalak

Following graduation, Hooper planned to enroll in a Master of Journalism program in Arizona. She packed up her Mission Beach condo, said goodbye to beach living and moved east. A week later, she was contacted by the principal at St. Therese Academy, who wanted to offer her a long-term substitute position in a seventh-grade classroom. “Prior to leaving San Diego, I put my name into the diocese as a means to substitute and explore education,” said Hooper. “A week after moving to Arizona, my dad and I packed up my stuff, and I moved back to San Diego. It was this pinnacle-of-life moment — just being open to the journey and trusting the opportunity.” Despite the challenges of taking on a class of 38 seventh graders midway through the academic year, the experience validated Hooper’s inclination that this was her life’s calling. She was offered a permanent position at the end of the year and set out to earn both her teaching credentials and a master’s degree in educational administration. From classroom teacher to administrator, Hooper has intentionally committed her career to Catholic school education. There have been countless moments that have validated her unique path, but one experience stands out from the others — coaching the academic decathlon in her second year as a middle school teacher.

sandiego.edu | 25