This year after zoom classes, Wildcat Nation has seen a number of new faces among staff members. One of those teachers was new English teacher Rita Jajjo.
Ms. Jajjo is originally from Wellington, New Zealand, and has only been in Ukiah for around a month.
“My partner used to go here and would talk very fondly about the school, and on how incredible the school spirit was here,” Jajjo told us. “I felt [the school spirit] is what brought me here.”
Wildcat Nation is “very honest with their teachers and the teachers are all very social and close, almost like a family,” she said.
Ms. Jajjo believes many Wildcats struggle to understand her New Zealander accent and many are very curious about “me being here and what I think of Ukiah.”
Comparing Ukiah High to her experience in New Zealand classrooms, she adds that “classes are very similar, but the New Zealand classes are much more diverse.”
In her free time, Ms. Jajjo enjoys “going outdoors and exploring new places like Montgomery woods, Fort Bragg, and hiking Low Gap.”
“I am also a really big eater so I would appreciate any good Ukiah food suggestions,” she says.
