By Amber Aldrich

At the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, Collegiate had the pleasure of welcoming Cristina Whitaker to the Upper School World Language department, and this year she is teaching Spanish II and Honors Spanish II. I was overjoyed to learn that my former middle school Spanish 1 & 2 teacher would be joining the Collegiate community. A passionate Spanish teacher, wonderful cook, devoted mom, and full of radiant energy, Whitaker was born in Madrid, Spain, and carries a deep love for her country’s culture. She hopes to instill her passion in her students through field trips and interactive curriculum. With 23 years of teaching experience, her mission is to spread kindness and her love of learning. Already, she has found her place at Collegiate: “This school is incredible. To me, it’s one of the most organized organizations that I have ever experienced.” She loves teaching Spanish because “it just teaches you that the world is much bigger than where you live.”

Whitaker’s home-cooked croquetas.

Growing up in Madrid, Whitaker developed a love for Spain’s architecture, weather, and, of course, food. As a kid, however, she had to eat animal organs—“not by choice”—like chicken hearts, or cow brains, as a part of Spanish culture: “The only thing that I do not eat anymore is all the animal organs. They said to us, when we were growing up, that it was great for our development, for vitamins, and… getting us healthy.”

Now, she enjoys cooking traditional Spanish dishes for her family, like croquetas, tortilla de patatas, patatas bravas, on occasion, and pan tumaca. While she’s never been to the festival, one of her favorite Spanish traditions to teach about is La Tomatina, a festival in the town of Buñol on the last Wednesday of August each year, where upwards of 50,000 people come together to hold the “world’s biggest food fight” with tomatoes. She said, “It’s a very kind of fun tradition. I’ve never been because I’m claustrophobic, so I could not make it.”

She also holds close to her heart Las Fallas de Valencia, a festival and celebration of art and food with a satirical nature, where massive colorful sculptures of people and political figures are paraded through the town of Valencia. When asked where she would recommend visiting if one were traveling to Spain, she answered that the question was impossible, but said to take a trip in two parts: explore south of Madrid on one trip and the North on another to ensure an immersive experience of all of the different cultures.

Whitaker’s home-cooked paella.

Whitaker came to Richmond from Spain at 21 as an exchange student, to learn English and to become bilingual. She went to school at Mary Ward College, an international school in Madrid, for International Studies as they apply to business administration and management. She worked for 10 years in Burford Company Advertising in Richmond, as a traffic and production manager, working on producing TV, radio, and print advertising, before deciding to become a teacher. Though inspired early by her second-grade teacher, Olga, her teaching career started when she was re-inspired by her sons, seeing how they thrived while learning Spanish and English at a young age.

Before coming to Collegiate, she taught middle school Spanish at St. Michael’s Episcopal School where she taught me for two years. When asked about the transition from teaching middle school to high school, and between schools, she praised “how mature the student values are” here. She shared that she has been impressed at Collegiate by “how many responsibilities you guys have, and how seriously you guys take your education.” Whitaker loved Collegiate’s welcoming nature: “I was lucky enough that Collegiate was interested in me, and it just kind of happened. I am thrilled that I am here.”

Her goals looking ahead include leading Spanish field trips and introducing her beloved Random Acts of Kindness. In the past, her middle school club had student “ambassadors” who spread kindness by doing things like eating lunch with lonely classmates, recognizing kind acts publicly, and even bringing in speakers to talk about spreading kindness. Her school put up a bulletin board where people were encouraged to recognize others for their kind acts: “So it was kind of like a ‘Thank you, because you talked to me today while I was down.’ Or ‘Thank you, because you picked up my backpack when it exploded in the hallway.’ So it was just any random act of kindness, be it big or small. It was brought up into this big, beautiful wall.” She hopes to start a version at Collegiate to strengthen community connections. 

Whitaker and her extended family.

Family is central to Whitaker’s life. Her oldest son, Spencer, is 24 and works in finance in Richmond after having graduated from Clemson University. She says she is very happy to have him back and close to home. Her youngest, Blake, 21, is pursuing a music career in Nashville, which she is thrilled about, because their family shares a love of live music and concerts.

Whitaker has also had moments in her life that left a lasting mark. I asked her to tell me a fact her students might not know about her. One of the most memorable was September 11, 2001. While eight months pregnant, she was on a flight from Madrid to Washington, DC, on that fateful and tragic day. At around 9 a.m., her plane made an emergency altitude drop over the ocean and had to land on a small island before turning back around towards Madrid. 

Whitaker is more than a teacher, cultural ambassador, community-builder, and a bundle of joy. Every day, she says her students’ smiles are what get her through and foster her love for her job. She loves her students, sharing her culture, and encouraging open-mindedness. Her advice for learning Spanish: go for it, travel, experience, and don’t be afraid of the challenge. If you see her in the hallways of Pitt, give her a smile and congratulations. Recently, in April, Whitaker officially became a U.S. citizen and celebrated at Collegiate with a surprise party held by the faculty. Collegiate is lucky to have her warmth, wisdom, and kindness now filling its halls.

All photos courtesy of Cristina Whitaker.