When thinking of Yorba Linda High School, one of the many things that stand out is our Mustang Business Academy, which has not been the same without a skilled and permanent teacher. Well, fear no more. With a bachelor’s in communications with a concentration in business, two teaching credentials, and a lot of business experience, Ms. Waltemeyer (Staff) is highly qualified to lead the business academy to success. Ms. Waltemeyer is here to stay, so it is important to know; who is she? The best way to get to know someone is from the beginning.

Ms. Waltemeyer is from Temecula, California, where she went to Vista Murrieta High School. During her high school career, she was largely involved with the school and was part of her school’s cheer and ASB. After graduating high school in 2015, she went to Cal State Fullerton for her bachelor’s degree and for her single subject teaching credential. She also received a Career Technical education credential, which allows her to teach all things business. You might have seen her around Yorba Linda High School before since she did her student teaching here for a year with Mr. Hay and Mrs. Shube. This year, she served as the Intervention Classroom Teacher here at YLHS. As you can see, Ms. Waltemeyer is definitely not new to YLHS and has been part of our Mustang family for a while.

Now that we’ve gotten the surface-level information out of the way, it’s time to go deeper into the why. Ms. Waltemeyer explains the thought process she had when choosing what to do with her life. Originally, she wanted to focus on psychology with a minor in business, because she knew she liked people and the professional world. However, she kept changing her mind and ended up going directly into business because “I liked being a part of something bigger than myself, and I felt like I wanted to be in the entertainment industry, especially within the business world.” Throughout her childhood, she was engaged in dancing and playing the piano, which is why she felt that her creative background would tie in with being in the business entertainment industry.

After she graduated college, she realized that she doesn’t really feel fulfilled in the entertainment industry and that it didn’t quite align with her values. She was hesitant in choosing her own path and it took her a while to realize that it is okay to change her mind. While re-evaluating what is important to her, Ms. Waltemeyer started subbing, which is when she realized she wanted to go all the way with teaching. When asked why teaching was so appealing to her, she stated that “I just wanted to really be able to give back to those generations coming after me and give them advice that I wish I had. I have a heart for students is what it comes down to, and there’s no monetary value in that for me.”

Believe it or not, teachers do not live at school and actually have lives. When Ms. Waltemeyer is not busy teaching classes, grading papers, and putting her students first, she enjoys freestyle dancing to let her creativity flow. For her, dancing, taking spin classes, listening to music, spending time with her family, and hanging out with her dog, are all things that help her mental health. Even teachers, who may always seem so strong, need time to breathe and destress. Speaking of music, she is a big fan of 2000’s R&B hip-hop, 80’s music, and alternative music too. 

Whenever she has a long break, she takes it as an opportunity to travel. Most recently, she traveled to Spain where she was especially attracted to its environment. Ms. Waltemeyer describes it as “a cultural hub of different religions with good food.” Her love for Spain really relates to her personality, such as how she is open-minded, joyful, and always sees the best in people. 

When looking at future goals for her students, she hopes that one of the main things students in her class will take away is being present, making sure to stop and be grateful for what we have. Being present can be as simple as getting up each day, which can be hard some days, and it includes enjoying the moment and “giv[ing] yourself the grace to make mistakes.” In the spirit of being inspirational, I’ll end with a quote by Ms. Waltemeyer that I hope will resonate with you: “If things don’t always go as planned, and you have the genuine desire to change and be better, that’s half the battle right there.”