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The new school year has brought many fresh faces to the Nueva Upper School campus, among them Michaela Danek, who comes to us from San Francisco International High School.

Michaela teaches ninth grade Foundations of Science and tenth grade Biology. Her interest in biology began in high school and led to a degree in neuroscience and physiology. Her interest in science in general stretches back to childhood,  “I was the kid that would turn over every single rock and pick up every single animal regardless of whether they bite you or sting you.”

Born in the Czech Republic, Michaela moved to the United States with her family when she was one year old. She speaks Czech fluently, and moved back to the Czech Republic when she was sixteen to finish her high school education.

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She then moved back to the United States for college and graduate school. Having earned a Masters in Education, she has worked in a variety of disciplines, from special education to advanced sciences.

Beyond teaching, Michaela is active in both sports and the arts. “In college I did triathlon, so a lot of swimming, biking and running,” she recalls. Presently she is expanding her horizons through creative projects. “I enjoy artistic endeavors, like painting or creating things, whenever I get into a project I really enjoy it.”

Michaela is as happy to be at Nueva as we are that she joined our community. After living around the world she has decided the Bay Area is her home. “I love it out here. I love the warm weather, I love the fact that there are blue skies every day, and I like that it’s close to the ocean but close to the mountains. I think it’s the best coast.”

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I was the kid that would turn over every single rock and pick up every single animal regardless of whether they bite you or sting you.

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