Students and staff at a middle school in East Dallas are mourning the loss of a beloved teacher, Mrs. Eliana Tseng, after she unexpectedly died last week.
Eliana Tseng is recognized for putting the STEM Academy at Robert T. Hill Middle School on the world stage, NBC 5 News reported.
Mrs. Tseng was a leader of the school’s STEM program. In the last nine years, her STEM and Robotics team has won over 40 trophies.
According to NBC 5 News, school principal Candice Ruiz said that she and Eliana Tseng had conversations about women’s representation in STEM and where the Academy was headed.
“At one point, we talked about naming our STEM program and she said, ‘It’s going to have to be after a woman, there’s so many great women.’ She would have the students research and let the students know there was a possibility,” Ruiz said.
On Wednesday night, a remembrance for Mrs. Eliana Tseng was held on the steps of the school. Students and colleagues gathered together to share memories of Mrs. Tseng, who was a mentor, co-worker, leader, and friend.
One of the attendees at the remembrance was Tseng’s former student, Maya Masters-Fairman. Maya drove to East Dallas from Atlanta with her mother, Natalie Masters, to pay homage to the teacher who made a huge impact on her life.
Natalie Masters said her daughter, who is graduating high school in 2023, learned to code when she was 12 years old because of Mrs. Tseng. She also said the late teacher impacted her daughter’s future career, opportunities, interests, and how she sees herself.
“I always kind of pictured that she would be writing recommendations for me forever and that she would be at my high school graduation next year. And now we’re here for her today,” Maya said.