Faculty Spotlight: Jaqueline Flores

By: Jeannie Eom, Sanisha Mahendra-Rajah

“On the first day of school, I was walking down the path—I was here early—and [Señora Flores] just stopped me on the path and said, ‘Hola, mi amor’—and I didn’t even know her,” upper Nahla Owens said. “‘It’s so good that you are here; we are so happy to have you.’”

Modern Languages Instructor Jacqueline Flores is beloved by the campus community. Her caring personality touches the hearts of many students—advisees and faculty alike. Her room is just as vibrant: Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys, fabrics from Latin America and small trinkets bring color and identity to her classroom.

Flores, who grew up in the inner city of LA with her twin sister, loves to talk about her first role model: her mom. She remembers that her mom would insist that “in this house, you speak Spanish,” ingraining in her children a lifelong pride of their Nicaraguan roots. Flores was brought up through 12 years of Catholic education. 

During her years as a young adult, Flores had first-hand experience with cultural and political upheavals in Latin America. “In my senior year of college, I dropped out and went to live in Nicaragua in the 80s during the Sandinista Revolution and it was amazing,” she said. “I was married to a very high-ranking general in the Sandinista Army and I got to see the revolution upfront. And because my husband had been a guerilla in the Northern zone, he knew the landscape and was named Director of Counter Military Intelligence and then later Director of the Northern Border leading the Sandinista Army against the Contra war.”

When she began teaching Spanish at New England boarding schools, Flores experienced a stark change in surroundings. “I was the only Latina on the faculty,” she said of her former school, Brewster Academy. “Exeter has been a revolving door of faculty of color, but not as bad as being the one voice of representation.”

Flores also finds time to pursue hobbies outside of teaching. “I have a group of friends, and we meet … every Wednesday to make bracelets. We just sit and relax. It's just therapeutic and fun,” she said. 

Flores is also an affiliate faculty member in Bancroft Hall. Lower Lila Busser recalled how Flores helped her adjust to her new dorm community. “One night we went over to her house and I was a little nervous; my advisory was mostly seniors,” she said. But she ordered us food and we all just sat and talked, and it made me feel like I had a family at Exeter.”

Lower Tanya Das agreed that Flores was a warm presence in the dorm. “She always asks how you are doing and you can tell that she cares about each of us individually. She’s always super interested in our endeavors and … she’s also there as emotional support,” Das said. “She has made an effort to get to know every one of us, and every time you come down to check-in, her Spanish endearments and genuine interest in your well-being never fail to brighten your day.”

Flores’ considerate nature and genuine passion for teaching has impacted her students in the classroom as well. “Her enthusiasm every day made me really excited to come to Spanish. [Spanish] wasn't really intriguing to me prior to her. She really ignited a passion in Spanish for me,” said senior Jonathan Bradbury. “Sometimes, I wouldn't be having the best day, but going to her class really just made me happier and better overall.”

Prep Mateo Connelly reflected on her dedication. “She immerses herself in the language and expects her students to follow suit,” Connelly said. “Señora Flores actively teaches her students how to be better learners and workers.”

“Her personality is very lively and bubbly, so she likes to teach an active, responsive class,” Connelly added. “When the class is quiet, she jokingly calls us fantasmas: ghosts.”

In her classroom, Flores emphasizes her rule of Spanish only. A sign on her door reads “No Inglés,” a precedent she makes sure to set early in the term. Bradbury commented, “she encourages her students to take risks and go beyond. In other Spanish classes, we still spoke English—but not in her class. She has very high expectations for her students but is willing to do whatever she can in order to have you meet those expectations, which is really commendable and admirable.”

Many students describe her as caring and compassionate. Jimmy Staller, a senior day student, said, “I think there are a lot of great teachers at Exeter, but Señora Flores is really empathetic about providing help outside of class. She's so passionate that she almost requires that every student reach out and meet with her at some point outside of class just to see where they are.” 

Modern Languages Instructor Ellen Glassner echoed Staller’s thoughts, commenting that “Señora Flores is just so loving and kind. She cares so much about her students.”

“The biggest thing she helped me with was confidence with speaking in Spanish,” Staller added. “She helped us all learn to not be afraid to make mistakes.”

While Flores wanted to be a teacher since childhood, “if someone had told me I would be living in New Hampshire, I would have been shocked. When I came to PEA 23 years ago, I was married with two small children, and I told my husband: five years and we are going back home to L.A.. Now I am divorced, my children are grown up and I am still here,” she reflected. “I stay to share my culture and because of the passion and love that I have for teaching.”