This article was in the top three winners of Lookout’s 2026 Journalism Scholarship challenge, which invited high school students to highlight an unsung hero in their lives. For placing in the top three, students were awarded a $500 scholarship. Learn more and find all of the winners here.
On any given weekday, Mrs. Ciandro’s classroom buzzes with energy. Fish tanks bubble, posters of local ecosystems line the walls and students gather around tables, where they find themselves debating solutions to local environmental challenges, planning outreach efforts or revising projects that will soon leave campus and enter the community. It’s a place where lessons extend beyond the walls, fostering generations of stewards.
For over 27 years, Mrs. Satina Ciandro has taught at Watsonville High School; rather than simply teaching science, she has helped students envision themselves as leaders of the future, framing the environment as something they are responsible for rather than a distant concept.
Born in Monterey County and raised as an only child, Mrs. Ciandro spent much of her time in quiet independence, both parents occupied with work. For several formative years, her family relocated to Chico while her father completed his education at California State University Chico. During this period, books and the outdoors became both companions and catalysts. Captivated by the outdoor world and further drawn by scientific encyclopedias, she quickly understood the fragility of the natural environment, and the need to protect it.
“School was always important,” recalls Mrs. Ciandro. Education was never optional in her household. Her parents valued what they considered a “real college,” a rigorous education that would serve as a gateway to future success. That became a core value that would guide her life.
Mrs. Ciandro began her college education at Hartnell College, earning two associate degrees in biology and chemistry before transferring to UC Davis to complete a bachelor’s degree in biology. She later earned her teaching credential at San Jose State University. “Biology was always my favorite subject throughout high school,” recalls Mrs. Ciandro. Coupled with a love for the outdoors, it felt natural to pursue.
While today she’s a lifelong educator, the path was not always clear. For a time, she considered becoming a physician; however, after further study at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, something shifted. She thought less about patients and more about classrooms. The memory of a former chemistry teacher and their approach to learning, the one who first allowed her to experience teaching others, lingered. She sought a career where she could provide others with opportunities she knew could change their lives.
Mrs. Ciandro gravitated toward Watsonville intentionally, driven by a desire to teach kids who would benefit from those opportunities and further drawn by its community.
For nearly three decades, Mrs. Ciandro has forged a strong link between her classroom and the broader community. As advisor to the Students Against a Violated Earth Club and lead teacher for the school’s Environmental Science and Natural Resources Academy, one of several career education pathways offered at Watsonville High School, she has engaged students in hands-on, environment-based community service. She collaborates with organizations such as Watsonville Wetlands Watch to connect students with resources for internships and local initiatives, and has participated in California’s annual Coastal Cleanup Day for the past 20 years. For her community-based efforts, she was awarded Watsonville High School’s Outreach Award twice, 10 years apart.
However, she is quick to redirect any attention away from herself, instead shifting it toward her students.
“I don’t need the accolades myself,” she says. “I want to see them succeed.”
That philosophy shapes everything she does.
The results speak for themselves. Students, once hesitant, now spearhead projects, transforming what might otherwise be a simple classroom assignment into a community-driven initiative. Mrs. Ciandro beams when describing students who earn the California State Seal of Civic Engagement. “They turn it into something meaningful for their community,” she says. The most rewarding part for her is not only seeing students earn the award, but watching them step into roles they once never imagined.
“She incorporates students into her plans, using our ideas to tackle issues at our school, actively teaching us leadership and problem-solving skills,” says SAVE Club Co-President Javier Aldaco.
Today, teaching about the natural world comes with several challenges. Conversations about climate change can quickly overwhelm students. Mrs. Ciandro approaches these topics with caution, inspired by the book “All the Feelings Under the Sun” to teach about issues in an impactful way without creating trauma.
“We’ve known about climate change,” she recalls, “but the thought of teaching it to my students has always been a challenge.”
The balance between realism and hope defines her classroom, creating students who feel empowered to act rather than overwhelmed by information.
Years ago, Mrs. Ciandro recalls the memory of a student recoiling in fear at the sight of a startled goldfish, sending the room into laughter. Though small, to her it symbolized something greater: the ability to turn fear into confidence with support.
Now, 27 years into her career, she measures success not in accolades but in student outcomes, with many leaving her classroom as leaders of the future. “I didn’t finish my master’s,” reflects Mrs. Ciandro. “But if I can help kids make it to the end of a project, it makes me feel good, because I didn’t finish.”
Mrs. Ciandro might not be widely known off campus. She never seeks the spotlight, and her work rarely makes headlines; however, in her students, her influence is unmistakable, fostering generations who see public service as part of their life’s duty, truly making her an unsung hero.
For nearly three decades, her quiet dedication has made all the difference.
Jesus Heredia Collazo is a student at Watsonville High School