Daissy Tabares and Rossana Peña

Spanish teacher Daissy Tabares and therapist Rossana Peña first connected in Sept 2021 at a meeting through a student who knew them both.

The first thing that struck Tabares when she met Peña was the culture they shared. As they are both from Mexico, Tabares and Peña speak Spanish and share similar childhood experiences. “It was like seeing myself on campus,” she said. As she got to know Peña more, Tabares saw just how committed Peña was to her values. “She really meant business when it came to something that was important to her,” Tabares said.

When Peña first got to know Tabares, she knew right away that Tabares was sweet and kind. More interactions revealed how much Tabares cared about other people, especially her students. “She is a very big advocate for her students,” Peña said. “If her student is struggling with a staff (member) or classwork, she will always be talking to them and helping them out.”

Throughout their one-and-a-half years of friendship, Peña and Tabares have shared many meaningful memories together. One that stands out the most is chaperoning last year’s Prom. They took time before the dance to get dressed up in Tabares’ classroom. “We were getting ready with our little mirrors, putting makeup on and everything,” Peña said.

Another memorable moment they shared was when they met outside of school for the first time around Halloween in 2021. They dined together at Estrellita, a Mexican cuisine restaurant, on San Antonio Road. Peña was dressed as Princess Peach while Tabares was dressed as Mavis from “Hotel Transylvania.” Complete opposites costumes-wise, they still easily connected through their conversation.

Tabares values that their strong relationship is built on good communication. She explained that they are adept at seeing different perspectives and attempting to understand each other. “We just have a really good balance and are very open to each other’s feedback,” she said.

Peña values her friendship with Tabares because of the mutual love and humor that lies between them. Whenever one person is upset, the other manages to find a way to cheer them up, and they always end up laughing together. “I feel that we are very supportive of each other, knowing that she can come to me and I can go to her for anything,” Peña said. Tabares added that they intuitively understand each other, which connects them as well. “We can just look at each other and still say so much without actually saying anything,” she said.

Part of their closeness comes from seeing each other every day. Both Tabares and Peña share their appreciation for working at the same high school. For Tabares, it brings back past memories, as if she were back in high school again, attending classes with her close friend. Peña believes that having a close friend present on campus allows her to step away from work at times. “It’s really nice because I can connect my personal life with my work,” she said. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

As the years go on, both Peña and Tabares believe that their friendship will continue to stay strong. Even if one or the other decides to leave Gunn, they promise to make an effort to continue seeing each other and stay patient. “It will only get stronger,” Peña said.