Alayna Montoya is a woman who found herself teaching back at the school she graduated from.

Ms. Montoya, a 2017 graduate, joined the Santa Fe High staff in 2022. She teaches English Language Arts (10th grade) as well as E2020. She keeps busy always helping her students and having fun. 

Born and raised in Santa Fe, Ms. Montoya grew up surrounded by family and friends. Her whole family, including her parents and siblings, graduated from SFHS. She said, “It was weird to adjust and took time to remember that I was a teacher, not a student.”  

When she was a student, she played almost every sport, from volleyball to soccer to basketball. She exclaimed, “My senior year I was even the Athlete of the Year!”

Ms. Montoya then attended UNM and earned degrees in both criminology and psychology. She is currently attending Highlands University to get her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

Ms. Montoya said she knew she wanted to work with kids but wasn’t sure in what capacity. Her original plan was to be a social worker, but she quickly realized that it wasn’t the job for her. Then in the 2021-2022 school year, she filled in as a substitute teacher, and that put her on a path to get a teaching license. 

“It’s funny to think about how I only graduated from Santa Fe High five years ago and now I work with the teachers who taught me. Crazy. I felt so much more freedom, and all the school building upgrades were great,” Ms. Montoya said.

Outside of school, Ms. Montoya loves taking her dogs, two huskies, on hikes. She also still loves to play sports and of course, spend time with family and friends.

Altogether, Ms. Montoya will continue to work with students and meet new people. 

“Helping students grow and guiding them is just so rewarding,” she said.