Voices of Westy: Marline Diaz

By Trent Jones ’25

Ms. Diaz is a cornerstone of the language department and one of the most vital figures in Westminster's greater community.

Originally, Ms. Diaz was raised in the Bronx, a particularly different environment than what we experience here. Ms. Diaz said that “It’s in the city and it’s really loud and busy.” She continued, saying that “there wasn’t a real sense of community, and you didn’t know your neighbors. You don’t really talk to your neighbors. It wasn’t that village feel like we have here where everyone is helping you be the best version of yourself.”
 
Ms. Diaz’s view of Westminster is the polar opposite of her explanation of the Bronx. When asked about her favorite part of Westminster, Ms. Diaz said, “Definitely the closeness. The fact that we are all so holistically involved with each other –– whether it be in class, in the dorm or in sports. I interact with almost every student every day and I love that. It's not something where I only know my students that I teach, I know everyone.” Ms. Diaz continued saying, “I also love living in the dorm. It’s actually my favorite part of teaching here.” She explained that living in a dorm gives her yet another environment where she can have a real impact on students she doesn’t interact within a classroom setting.
 
When asked who her biggest influence on her was, Ms. Diaz was quick to respond with, “My mom.” She followed by saying, “just knowing her story and seeing how she grew up and how she was able to overcome so many things in her life was inspiring. She came from Puerto Rico when she was 12 years old and she didn’t know any English. Quite impressively, she was simply thrown into the traditional public school system in New York City and just had to figure out her path forward, and press forward she did! She graduated from high school second in her class. Remarkably, she has three master’s degrees.” Ms. Diaz explained that, although her mother was dealt a difficult situation, moving to a new country in which she didn’t even speak the language, she was still able to progress and perform at a high level through determination.
 
When asked about what influenced her to become a teacher, Ms. Diaz responded quickly, mentioning again her mother. Ms. Diaz continued saying, “My mom is a teacher. We are a family of teachers. I’m a teacher and my younger sister is a teacher. We are all very much involved with kids in education.” Thankfully for Westminster, Ms. Diaz continued the family occupation here. We are incredibly grateful.
 
When asked what her favorite part of being a teacher was, Ms. Diaz said, “Seeing the growth of a student, meeting a student in September and seeing where they are at the start and then progressing to May and noticing how significantly that student has developed, and not just academically, but overall… It's just something that I've always loved to be a part of.”
And, finally, to close, Ms. Diaz gave one final piece of advice to Westy students, asking us to “Be your authentic self. A lot of times students will adjust and adapt their personalities to what they feel is most acceptable here. That’s not the most important thing. I think the most important thing is not to be what you think everyone wants you to be. It’s really about being genuinely happy, and you can't do that if you're not yourself.”