After 39 years of educating adults in music and voice, Cypress College must say goodbye to one of its most popular and influential professors.
“I believe if you can talk, you can sing.”- Helena DeCoro
Last Friday, during the Holiday Recital it was obvious to see the positive affect Helena DeCoro has had on people over the years. Audience members included former students from the past 30 years, former and current teachers, and even her dentist. She described the recital not only as the perfect way to end the school year, but also her most cherished memory at Cypress College.
“I was hoping I wasn’t going to tear up too much.”
Helena may be leaving the Cypress College music department, but she won’t be leaving the music world quite yet. She will be leading and teaching a weekly opera class called “Opera Nuts” at the Fullerton library Wednesday nights starting the third week of January.
Not only has Helena spent the majority of her teaching career at Cypress, her children attended Cypress College before transferring to Universities such as NYU, Princeton, and UCI. From feeding the ducks at the pond to watching her children grow up on campus, Helena has many fond memories to reflect upon.
Though Helena has a major love in opera, the care and dedication of her students continues to be her one true passion. “I’ve always wanted to teach at a community college. Community college is unique. What I love the most is the various, different students, different ages, and different backgrounds coming together to learn.”
It is hard to find teacher these days, but its even harder to find a teacher that truly cares about her students.
