Introducing Ms. Pretlow

Feature Introducing Ms. Pretlow

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

Eva Johnson

Copy Editor

The Pepperbox has had to overcome a lot this year. With our first advisor, Ms Merrill going on leave in October, and four or five substitutes coming in and out of teaching, we were finally given a long term sub for the rest of the year.

Beginning on March 14, Pepperbox staff welcomed Anna-Sophia Pretlow, a Cal Poly Humboldt (CPH) graduate. She grew up in Walnut Creek, California, eventually making her way to Humboldt at the age of 21 after transferring from community college to CPH.

“I actually chose English with an emphasis of Language Development and Acquisition [as her major],” Pretlow stated.

Because of her interest in teaching others about the English language, she also minored in Teaching the English language as a Second and Foreign Language (TESOL).

“When I was probably around your age, about a junior in high school, I did this volunteer program called AMIGOS,” she continued.

Amigos de las Américas, or AMIGOS, is a nonprofit organization based in Houston, Texas with chapters around the United States.

“It’s really like an immersion program, and so you live with a host family… I was really bad at Spanish, so I couldn’t speak to my host family very much.”

Her host family was located in Paraguay for about seven or eight weeks.

“I think that experience just made me realize like, oh, it’s really cool to know how to speak another language to be able to communicate with other people in a different part of the world,” Pretlow said.

Being fluent in what is considered a global language got her thinking about teaching it to other people. But for pure enjoyment and love of traveling, she has gone on to visit countries in Europe, Thailand, and areas all over the United States.

Pretlow has many ideas for where she might like to live in the future, these include Europe, where she has family, Oregon, and South America.

Besides traveling and visiting new places, Pretlow enjoys riding her bike and being outdoors. She loves painting and anything art related. After finding a working film camera in a free pile, she has enjoyed taking pictures with it and gifting them to others.

“I pretty much always have my camera on me. And then right now…I have like four rolls of film to pick up,” she continued.

She spends a lot of her time snapping pictures of things that inspire her. Since they are on film, she gets surprised and reminded by the objects she was attracted to when she took them.

“The thing I like about that the most is like I take these photos, I can’t see them right away… then it reminds me, ‘oh that’s what I did over summer’,” Pretlow expressed.

Every so often, she’ll pick a theme for a collage. Right now, she’s been taking pictures of different signs. Sometimes she decides to surprise people with the photos she took on film for birthdays and whatnot, but she generally holds onto her scrapbooks.

While Pretlow does want to travel, she’s grateful to be at Arcata High School and feels hopeful for the future.

“I can say that I’m really excited to be here, part of the Arcata High community and campus,” Pretlow said. “I already feel pretty at home and welcome here. That’s a good sign…I think I’m in the right place,” she said.

Lila Cohen/PEPPERBOX Substitute Ms. Pretlow in front of the journalism room