Ms. Lilia Vasghanian is a former student at Glendale High School. She came to GHS in 2014, and she was a member of the graduating Class of 2018. During her years on our campus, she was one of the best basketball players on the girls varsity team.
Ms. Vasghanian loves playing basketball, hanging out with friends and travelling. She is now an English teacher and basketball coach on our campus, and she is so excited to return to her alma mater. She is very passionate about what she does, and she looks forward to making her new years at GHS unforgettable.
After high school, Ms. Vasghanian went to Glendale Community College, and she then transferred to UC Irvine for two years. Although she did not get the whole university experience due to COVID-19, she ended up receiving her bachelor’s degree in English.
After earning her degree, Ms. Vasghanian immediately enrolled at CSUN to receive her single-subject teaching credential in English Language Arts. Amazingly, she was able to manage coaching at GHS and attending college classes at the same time. Even today, she is doing her best to balance both teaching English and coaching.
Ms. Vasghanian’s basketball journey didn’t just start out of nowhere, but she was inspired by her younger brother when she watched him hit a game-winning shot. After that, she decided that this was the sport that she also wanted to play, so she started her basketball career at the age of eight years old.
Over the years, she improved in her basketball skills, and she became a member of the GHS varsity team. She was eventually known as the “best player” on the squad, and at one point, she made eight three-point shots in a single game, which was a school record at the time.
Ms. Vasghanian’s feelings for basketball changed completely once she returned to GHS as a coach. She said, “I didn’t realize how much I love this sport until I took a step back and was asked to start coaching.” Cherilyn Legaspi was a player that Ms. Vasghanian coached, and she ended up beating her three-point record by making nine in a single game.
Ms. Vasghanian would not have chosen to teach and coach at a different school than GHS. “This school is amazing,” she said, “and I would not go anywhere else.”
She encourages everyone to come to this school and try it out for themselves, because you don’t know how you’ll feel about a new place until you’re there. “It’s a great community, great staff, great students, and a lot of positives nobody really knows,” she said.
Ms. Vasghanian hopes to make her students feel comfortable to ask her any questions and not be afraid to approach her. She doesn’t want her students to think they can talk to her for only academic reasons, but she hopes they see her as a friend, too. She aims to leave an impression on her students, similar to the one that her teachers made on her when she was a student here.
We are all glad to have Ms. Vasghanian back on campus. If you see her in the quad, make sure to say hello, and if you need a friend, make sure to visit Room 2238!
