Senior Mia Guevara has two words to describe her relationship with her father, history teacher Steve Guevara: best friends.

“We’re very close,” Mia said. “If he’s available, I’ll go say hi to him, so it is really nice to have him here. It’s a very unique experience; I wouldn’t get that anywhere else.”

Steve and Mia arrive at school at the same time, and she helps him prepare his materials.  

“In the morning, I usually write on his board for him and stuff,” Mia said. “So whatever he needs me to do in the mornings, or he wants me to grab anything for him, I’m so happy to do any of it.”

Steve enjoys having Mia bring friends from athletics into his classroom during lunch, cultivating a diverse lunchtime environment. 

“There are many, many best parts in there—no downsides for me,” Steve said. “She comes in and tutors my students. She comes in at lunch which brings more kids in during lunch, so we had all kinds of different grade levels in here.” 

Steve is also grateful that Mia speaks about colleges and college applications to the seventh graders.  

“My 12-year-olds can go ahead and figure out what they’re going to have to do down the road,” Steve said. “So it gives them a jump on what’s going on, and she’s been very active in preparing the material from my classes in the morning, so it’s all beneficial for me.”

Ever since Mia was little, Steve’s love for history has rubbed off on her.

“I do love history,” Mia said. “I think maybe he started me off. When I was young, we always talked, and we would listen to podcasts for his classes. That whole aspect of it is really interesting.”

Mia describes her dad as two different people but loves the side of him when he is at home.

“At UPA, he has to be a teacher, a professional,” Mia said. “He always comes in bougie outfits which are very interesting. At home, it’s completely different. His childlike nature is my favorite thing about him. It’s like I have another friend. I get to joke around and he laughs a lot, and it just makes for a very fun experience as a kid and even as an adult. It’s super fun just to hang out with another crazy person.”

On the other hand, Steve’s favorite thing about Mia is her similarities to him and their unspoken connection.

“My mother, myself and my daughter are very alike in a lot of things,” Steve said. “I don’t have to explain myself to her very often because she thinks as I do, so it’s a very comfortable and very easy relationship.”

To Steve, Mia carries qualities of her past generations to be appreciated by the future generations.

“I think the number one thing that I smile about is that I see a lot of my mom in my daughter, and my mom’s not going to live forever, so I’m going to see a lot of her there,” Steve said.