Susan Denny Espinoza was a remarkable teacher. She and I entered Mission Viejo High School in 2002 together as English teachers, and we became fast friends through our first exciting (haha) teacher induction meetings. Sue was diligent, gregarious, confident, and hilarious.  She excelled in the classroom from day one; she was an adviser for the yearbook, and her students produced award-winning yearbooks annually.

Most importantly, Sue cared and genuinely loved her students. The day after she passed, I was approached by several of her former students who told me she was always concerned about their personal lives. Sue would ask the extra question, and one student recalled how she made him come to her tutorial every day to complete missing assignments until he finished them all. Through tears, he said she helped him get on the right path in his life.

Sue would willingly give everything she had to anyone, and she never brought attention to her altruism; that’s the true definition of a beautiful soul, and that was Sue.

Sue left us much too early, but she will live on in her students and the many, many lives she touched. In Sue’s honor, a memorial scholarship will be awarded annually to a MVHS senior who wants to be a teacher and make a difference. In this way, Sue’s legacy will live on in the classroom. Thank you so much for any amount you are willing to give for this scholarship to honor Sue and to contribute to our future teachers.  As we all know and have experienced, one good teacher can impact thousands of lives.  That was Sue's impact. 

Thank you for your kindness and contributions for this scholarship! 


Marc McCormack