After years of having big-city dreams, much-loved chemistry teacher Alissa Mullin is making the move to New York City in July. Although it hasn’t been solidified yet, Mullin said she hopes to get another teaching position in New York City. Mullin has taught preparatory chemistry courses as well as Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry at Dos Pueblos High School for three years, becoming a beloved and trusted mentor to many of her students, who’ve said that she has had a profound impact on their lives.
“She’s taught me to be a more kind person, to have a little more empathy and sympathy, and to truly care about the people around me, and I think to learn to bond with people a little better,” said Stanley Chen (12), who has been Mullin’s Teacher’s Assistant for two years. “I think she’s taught the class a different approach to learning. It’s not as uptight … she tries to incorporate some sort of fun into it.”
Chen said he supports Mullin’s decision, recognizing that Mullin has long dreamed of making it.
“It’s sad, but I’m happy that she’s doing it. I think at this point in her life, it’s a great step forward to whatever she wants to achieve,” Chen said. “I’m genuinely just very happy she decided to make the move.”
Nicola Bailey (12), who first took a class with Mullin in sophomore year and has been spending her lunch periods in Mullin’s classroom ever since, said Mullin had created a “safe space” for her and her friends due to Mullin’s passion for connecting with her students.
“You can go up to anyone and ask them if they know Ms. Mullin and most likely everyone will be like, ‘Yes, I had her, I loved her,’” Bailey said. “She cares for her students and makes sure that they are seen and heard, and they have the resources they need not only to succeed in her class, but to succeed as human beings with good mental health and good health in general — she has had the most positive impact at the school due to the way that she truly cares about the students and cares about the way that she’s teaching.”
According to Bailey, she has enjoyed talking to Mullin about science experiments, video games, college, and classes over the years. She said it’s “bittersweet” that Mullin is moving.
“I know that it’s super exciting that she’s getting to go to this new place. New York is incredible,” Bailey said. “But I am sad for all of the generations of students in the future who will never get to meet her because they’re truly missing out.”
Looking forward, Bailey wants Mullin to know that her time at DPHS has made a significant impact on her students and has become a highly valued presence on campus.
“I think everybody has a teacher that when they’re older, they look back and they go, ‘That teacher was the most special teacher for me at this school, and I could not have gone through school without them,’” Bailey said. “And I hope Ms. Mullin understands that she has been that teacher for so many people.”
Jake Betancourt (12) also frequents Mullin’s classroom during lunch, sharing that it is “a fun place to go.” As a performing arts student in Jazz Choir, Betancourt said that one way Mullin shows care for her students is through her support of the arts on campus.
“She comes to every performance, she brings a bouquet, she gives flowers to the students she knows,” Betancourt explained. “It’s just so sweet to see her and see how much she cares about students and showing up for them.”
Similar to Chen and Bailey, Betancourt has appreciated Mullin’s presence throughout his high school life and said he feels remorseful for future DPHS students who will never meet Mullin.
“She’s just always a constant,” Betancourt said. “I’m just sad for all the students that won’t have her as a teacher, because she’s really great.”
However, Mullin said she looks forward to the change, describing New York City as one of the few places in the United States that would provide her with her ideal environment.
“I’ve always wanted to live in a city,” Mullin said. “I’ve always wanted to live somewhere with seasons, and I’m so excited to ride a train every day and not have a car and interact with people out in the world more easily.”
According to Mullin, the move to a larger city has always been on her mind, especially during transitional phases of her life, such as going to college or post-graduation, although the plan always fell through.
“It’s always been a step that I wanted to take,” Mullin said. “I knew going into this year, probably. This would be the time, because now I have the experience to hopefully be able to get a job.”
Mullin reported looking forward to the weather and seasons of New York City and its walkable layout the most. When she first moved to Santa Barbara, Mullin said she felt self-isolated due to the dark drive to and from work as well as the lack of interaction with people other than her co-workers.
“I appreciate having public transit and infrastructure built around interacting with people,” Mullin said. “I like the energy of seeing families and community members out and about … and I like art and stuff and there’s just always fun, cool things happening when you have so many people in one spot because people are creative and cool.”
Mullin said her favorite part about teaching at DPHS has been connecting with people. She had often attended her students’ games and performances, and enjoyed learning about her students’ passions.
“It’s so meaningful to me to get to be here and see all the things people love to do,” Mullin said. “Someone says something that makes me happy every day, even if there’s other bad stuff, and it’s just so fulfilling and awesome.”
In her early years in college, Mullin had initially wanted to become a full-time scientist. She thought she had figured out a good career path for herself until she realized during college that her mentoring opportunities excited her the most, according to Mullin.
“I really appreciate that I get to be a person for people that they can talk to and can hear them out,” Mullin said. “It’s frustrating when there’s so many things that are out of my control that I can’t help people with, like home situations or what tests they have to take. I want to do my best for everyone, but there are things that are out of my control. But that’s just how it is.”
Looking forward, Mullin recognizes that the move will be a “significant change” to her life and the fresh start will be challenging, especially because the East Coast culture is quite different from the West Coast culture Mullin has grown accustomed to, especially since Mullin has developed “a base level understanding of Southern California” after having lived there all her life.
However, Mullin believes that she will be able to overcome her fear of starting over by pushing through and keeping a positive attitude, similar to her experience with starting over with new students every year.
“It’s worked out every time,” Mullin said. “Every year, I end up finding new students I’m comfortable with and excited to see and all that stuff. So, it’ll be okay.”
Additionally, Mullin said she hopes that her students at DPHS will consider her someone memorable and authentic in her passion for connecting with people.
“I hope that students know that I am very genuine in how I care about people, and that they’ll remember me as someone who cares about them and tries my best to support people,” Mullin said. “Knowing that that’s something everyone deserves. To continue, I’ll pay it forward.”
Chen said he admires Mullin for her ability to form bonds with her students, which makes her stand out among other teachers.
“I think she’s a wonderful teacher. Not just in terms of the content she teaches, but I think she really cares about her students,” Chen said. “She spent so much time in the classroom. Not only teaching, but making sure her students actually feel well.”
As for the future of DPHS, Mullin said she wants people to continue creating a safe and comfortable environment. She shared the belief that everyone is capable of finding the things they are passionate about, and she hopes people will continue to do that.
“[It’s] just so awesome that the opportunities are there and that the vibes are such that people are willing to take those risks and want to meet people,” Mullin said. “I really appreciate it. I just hope that continues to be the case and people continue to want to support each other and show that.”
