In order for students from different backgrounds and customs to interact, learn from one another, and develop a global mentality, cultural diversity is crucial. Students’ comprehension and appreciation of various viewpoints, customs, and ways of life are improved by exposure to varied cultures. One way to increase cultural diversity is through language. All over the world, people communicate through hundreds of different languages, and here at ACP, students get to learn some of these languages.

Mrs. Pardo (formerly Miss Pederson) is the Mandarin teacher at ACP, and she also teaches Spanish and Mandarin at Chandler Online Academy. Mrs. Pardo has been teaching at ACP since 2015, and her favorite part of teaching is “seeing our students and graduates and their growth and accomplishments.” She went to college wanting to work in translation but realized it wasn’t a right fit for her, so when she observed an amazing teacher who was able to get his class excited and interested in learning, she realized that teaching was what she wanted to do. A fun fact about Mrs. Pardo is that she has lived in eight states as well as China, Spain, and Taiwan. Her favorite quote is “千里之行，始于足下。-老子 The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  -Lao Zi

Mrs. Pardo has recently been awarded the title of Chandler Online Academy’s Teacher of the Year for the 2022-2023 school year for her amazing work! Congratulations to Mrs. Pardo for inspiring and teaching your students to be the best versions of themselves. Don’t forget to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary, Go Knights!