The Oracle gets to know two teachers with extreme passions.

Marcel Losier

Everybody has something in life that they look forward to. French teacher Marcel Losier has a passion that may surprise some people: surfing.

As a child, Losier always wanted to surf, although, growing up in Canada, he was surrounded by snow seven months a year. When he watched “Endless Summer,” a documentary about two surfers, he became entranced with the idea of surfing on his own. His dream became a reality when he went backpacking in Australia 14 years ago. He traveled from Sydney to the Great Barrier reef and then to Fiji. He initially started surfing because he stayed in youth hostels in Queensland and New South Wales, next to the best surfing spots in Australia, and felt he had to try it out. Once he caught his first wave, he was hooked for life. “There’s only one feeling like that in life,” Losier said. “When I catch a wave, it’s like I’m one with the ocean.” Nearly every morning, he leaves around 5 to 5:30 am to go surfing in Santa Cruz. “The sun rises, and the waves are different every morning,” Losier said. “There are always sea creatures around you. It’s magical.”. For Losier, surfing is a way of life and definitely a hobby worth keeping.

One lesson surfing has taught him is that the environment is sacred. When he looks at bodies of water, he imagines that,“the movment of water is like the planet is breathing.” According to Losier, the environment is special and irreplaceable. “We need to take care of the environment because once it’s damaged, it can never be fixed,” he said.

When he retires, Losier wants to move to the island of Martinique. He hopes to find a house beside the beach, surf everyday and eventually open a youth hostel. According to Losier, surfing taught him about himself and opened his eyes. By opening a youth hostel, he wants to give back and aid others to find something they love in their lives; just like he did.

Theresa Diola

Who said teachers can’t kick butt? English teacher Theresa Diola has an extensive background in martial arts, specializing in the art of Tae Kwon Do.

Diola started classes in Tae Kwon Do when she was ten years old and received her black belt two years later, when she was twelve. “I was really intense and I attended class four times a week,” Diola said. When she became more advanced, she began teaching other classes at her studio. Her master, who came from Korea, urged her to take different types of martial arts. Tae Kwon Do relies mostly on lower body strength, especially from the legs. She learned Judo, grappling, boxing and knife fighting to build strength throughout her body.

According to Diola, martial arts shaped her identity and gave her a different point of view in life. She became more reflective, self-controlled and started respecting her elders more because of Tae Kwon Do. “I learned humility and modesty,” Diola said. But perhaps the most important lesson she learned was to be more aware overall. According to Diola, most people do not want to get into fights, but if it is unavoidable, he or she must try to get in and out as quickly as possible.

She rarely gives out compliments now, a result of her martial arts training. According to Diola, she learned not to give out compliments unless she really means them, acquiring this trait because her master also did not freely give out compliments to students in martial arts.

However, despite her apparent involvement in Tae Kwon Do, she did not start willingly. She had wanted to take gymnastics class with the other girls and jump and play on the huge trampoline, but her mother made her take Tae Kwon Do with the boys.