Interview With Mrs. Szalkai

Mrs.Szalkai, from the business department at West Orange High School (WOHS), teaches Business Organization and Management as well as Personnel Finance. Mrs. Szalkai pursued business because of her “undergraduate degree in Marketing from Rutgers University so when getting [her] masters and teaching certification, it was a good fit. Plus, [she loves] to teach business studies as the majority of students entering college end up with business degrees.” Junior year, her english teacher, Ms. DeRosa, was an inspiration to her and the reason she wanted to become a teacher.

When Mrs. Szalkai is not in school she enjoys spending time with her family, watching her daughters’ swim meets and lacrosse games, traveling and she also owns a skincare company that she runs outside of school. Her hobbies include reading, redecorating her house, and cooking. Her favorite food to eat is pizza and her favorite movies are “Shawshank Redemption” and “A Beautiful Life.” The first car she ever owned was a Mustang and her favorite sports team is the New York Yankees. If she could have one wish it would be the ability to see her father again.

Mrs. Szalkai can be seen roaming the halls and teaching students for at least ten more years before she plans on retiring. Her greatest life experiences have been raising two children, and riding mules to the base of the Grand Canyon. Mrs. Szalkai describes WOHS as united, diverse, full of resilience and challenges that help students grow. The Pioneer greatly appreciates Mrs. Szalkai for giving us her time and being an outstanding business teacher.