Catching Up With Rommel

Catching Up With Rommel

Kenny Hamann, Staff Writer

Rommel Loria is the new Assistant Head of School here at Sonoma Academy. He attended Georgetown University in Washington DC, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in English. In his free time, Loria enjoys watching movies, especially of the romantic comedy genre. 

Loria grew up in a small suburb of the Baltimore area, where he attended a small Catholic elementary school and an all-boys high school. He feels that this part of his life is essential to him. “There were really great things about that educational process, where I could form really strong relationships with my teachers,” he says. 

Before working at Sonoma Academy, Loria worked as a litigator in Baltimore before becoming an English teacher and a coach of soccer and basketball. From there he worked as the Director of Civic Engagement at The Parks School in Baltimore and then moved to Sacramento to work as the Head of Middle School at the Sacramento Country Day School. 

Loria’s favorite thing about being in his position as the Assistant Head of School is the aspect of helping students go through the learning process. He thinks this is something that SA does really well. “I like the culture of being able to talk with other students and work with like-minded people. I joined SA because it’s a community that, from the beginning, has recognized the importance of empowering students in the learning process. You see that in the courses, connections, experiences, and mentorship that SA students have in their time here.” 

Commenting on what drew him to the school, Loria answered, “Schools are very distinct; they have their own identities.” What drew him to want to work here was the kind and supportive staffulty and the spirit of importance that SA held about the learning process. During his visit to the school, he especially liked the kind of learning environment he saw being created. “As a new member of the community, my goals are to listen and learn, to work alongside our amazing staffulty keep the founding principles of the school alive,” he says. Loria hopes to help SA evolve, and to meet the needs of the students today and into the future.