A favorite amongst upperclassmen, Spanish teacher Tisha Ortega is known for her humor and antics in the classroom. So it should not be surprising that there are numerous stories and myths swirling about her name.  To find out the truth we sat down with Ortega to learn the answers to a few of our questions.

Fact: “She lived in Costa Rica,” junior Alex Hess said.

“I studied at the University of Costa Rica,” Ortega said. “I took a variety of classes including Chinese and Italian.”

Fact: “Her father is a zookeeper,” senior Toni Poland said.

“He was the director of the Miller Park Zoo, but he is now retired,” Ortega said. Ortega also had a zebra named after her at the Denver Zoo, as her father was at one point a zookeeper there.

Fiction: “Ortega has had seven husbands,” senior Emma Martin said.

“No, I’ve had eight,” Ortega said. She then went on to jokingly say that she hasn’t been married at all, so in her words, “You’re just never going to know the truth.”

Fact: “She’s translated death certificates,” junior Tyler Livingston said.

“When I lived in Indianapolis I translated death certificates and embalming certificates for a mortuary,” Ortega said. Her job mainly consisted of translating certificates that came from bodies in Mexico.

Fact: “She teaches classes at Heartland,” senior Lauren Brown said.

“I teach English as a second language,” Ortega said. Currently, she is not teaching this class at Heartland as she is putting a priority on balancing her six U-High Spanish courses. She does plan to teach next semester, however, in a Tuesday and Thursday class that will run from five to nine at night. “Teaching these students are different, they really want to learn English,” Ortega said.

Fiction: “She hurt her leg trying to go up the stairs last week,” sophomore Sarah Tomlinson said.

“I was upstairs, and I was trying to take my class to see the ofrenda in Delatorre’s room and I did indeed hurt my leg,” Ortega said. After spending time in wheelchair, “I’m recovered-ish,” Ortega said.

Fact: “She really likes coffee,” U-Link director Ms. McCain said.

“Of course,” Ortega said. “I would appreciate greatly any coffee donations.” For those looking to donate her favorite drinks include Starbucks’ cappuccinos and the occasional Boba Tea from Fusion Brew.

With a busy schedule and lots to keep up with at both inside and outside of school, Ortega thrives on the energy any coffee can bring, “Coffee is very important.”