When Enza Spilotro’s family moved from Chicago’s South Side to suburban Addison, she chose to attend the local public high school rather than a private institution because she wanted to take Italian language classes. Nowadays, Spilotro walks the halls of her alma mater, Addison Trail High School, as an Italian teacher, a role she’s held for the last 18 years.

“From as far as I can remember, I wanted to teach,” she recalls. “I always had a natural desire to help others, and become involved in the educational system. I love giving back and teaching allows me to do that when simultaneously doing what I love and sharing my passion for my culture and language every day. I also like to consider myself someone who always tries to see the underlying passion in my students. I strive to help them find their fire and what helps them feel who they are wholeheartedly.”