Hasta La Vista, Ms. Vasquez!

If you ever find yourself in a debate with Ms. Vasquez, you might as well quit. A longtime debate coach, Ms. Vasquez is responsible for turning nervous freshmen into argumentative beasts. Although her time at Gilman is coming to an end, her debate coaching has made a long-lasting impact on improving the club. Recently, two teams in Speech and Debate have qualified for the NSDA Nationals in Public Forum. Jeffrey Hu ‘26 put it best: “I would not be anywhere close to where I am today [without her]. I have her to thank for my entire debate journey, for sparking my interest in debate and teaching me along the way. Her influence has positively shaped much of my high school experience, and I truly appreciate it.” 

Ms. Vasquez’s coaching has given Gilman an opportunity to make a national presence in the debate space. On top of this, all of her copious efforts have allowed her to achieve the district Coach of the Year. She recalls the moment when Rik Chaudhuri ‘26 and Jeffrey qualified as unforgettable: “They were exhausted. We were all exhausted. But when I saw the results come in, I ran to their room to tell them, and the look on their faces, something I’ll never forget.”

However, her list of achievements does not stop here. Ms. Vasquez also teaches calculus. Teaching nearly every single level of calculus during her time at Gilman, she is very passionate about math. Her love for calculus arises not only from the successful parts but also from the mistakes she had to learn from along the way. She found lots of joy in moments when concepts clicked for students and will hold onto those memories forever.

Moreover, alongside her role as a debate coach and math teacher, she is the school scheduler, an important and difficult job. She described solving it as a giant optimization puzzle. Managing the schedule was a struggle due to the different requests and moving parts, yet she would do it again because she enjoyed the challenge and the experience that came with it. 

Leaving Gilman, Ms. Vasquez leaves us with some powerful words: “Don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable. Always try something new. Take a risk.” Following her own advice, she has taken many risks in Baltimore, such as a ballet class in a restaurant. She has pushed herself in every way she can and now looks forward to giving her talents to New Mexico to teach math at Santa Fe Preparatory School and explore nature with her cat and puppy. Her time at Gilman may be ending, but her impact will always last.