Meet the New Staff! (Part 2)

Sister Gillian Wallace

Sr. Gillian Wallace, SNDdeN, is one of Notre Dame’s new religious studies teachers. One of her favorite pastimes is to relax near, on, or in water. She doesn’t have a pet, but if she did, it would be a lovely, friendly dog. She chose to join the ND community because “Notre Dame San Jose rocks! What more needs to be said?” 

Amanda Klasila

Ms. Klasila is a new addition to the English Department. She loves cooking (not baking), spending time outdoors, and, unsurprisingly, reading. She says she is always open to good suggestions on what to read, cook, or where to hike. Her favorite flavor of ice cream is pistachio and especially loves the pistachio ice cream she would get at her favorite shop in Chile. She was drawn to Notre Dame because of its values and because she wanted to be a part of a community that supports and celebrates each other. 

Annalora Calin

Another new member of the Religious Studies Department is Ms. Calin. She loves music and art, and after she graduated college, she actually spent sixteen months traveling the world performing in a musical and doing community service. She says that this experience gave her a greater appreciation for diverse cultures and religions and led her to meet close friends from all over the world, who she now considers family. Ms. Calin hasn’t just taught religion; she also taught acting and t’ai chi for many years. In her free time, she loves spending time outdoors, traveling, biking, paddle boarding, swimming, and hiking. She also loves baking with her daughter, playing with Legos and dolls, reading, and watching movies. Some of her favorite foods are avocados, fresh berries, and pumpkin anything. She has no pets, but she does spend every Saturday at the stables with horses, mini horses, ponies, and goats that she considers to be a very important part of her family. 

Joycelyn George

Although Ms. George is new to the admissions team at Notre Dame, she is definitely not new to the school. She was a graduate of the class of 2017 (teal and orange ravens). When she was at ND, she was in journalism and ASB class council and was an ambassador and an admissions intern. Her homeroom mentors were Ms. DeSilva and Ms. Savino. Last March, she graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in marketing and retail studies. There, she was part of the Retail Studies Student Association Executive Board where she launched and led their digital magazine as editor-in chief. In her free time, George likes to cook, bake, build lego sets, and create art. Her favorite food is dim sum and she loves Marvel and Disney movies. She has two pets, a dog named Snoopy and a cat named Kiki. 

Trini Villegas

Ms. Villegas is one of the new administrative assistants at Notre Dame. She is a first-generation college graduate who obtained a BA from the University of California, Irvine and went on to graduate with a Master’s in Education from the University of Illinois. Hiking is her favorite hobby, but she also loves caring for her succulent garden. One of her all time favorite books is The Little Prince. She says she always learns something new when she reads it. She has two pets, rescue chihuahuas named Lola and Coco.