Growing up, Alicia Suárez Eller’s parents taught in the fields of music and agriculture in Chile. Eventually, she made the decision to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a teacher. Upon relocating to North Carolina during the early 1960s, she attended Louisburg College and earned an Associate of Arts in 1965. Soon thereafter, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish teaching, cum laude, from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1970. Ms. Eller began her career as a fourth grade teacher at Gold Sand Elementary School in Louisburg, North Carolina, between 1970 and 1974. She further assumed employment with Louisburg High School as a Spanish teacher from 1975 until her retirement in 2001.
After retiring as a teacher, Ms. Eller became a reporter for the Franklin Times while serving as a translator and consultant of English as a second language from 2001 to 2016. In the past, she taught Spanish part-time for 15 years at Louisburg College. An active member of her community, Ms. Eller has contributed the Franklin County Arts Council, the Interchurch Council and the Louisburg Methodist Church.
In light of her outstanding accomplishments, Ms. Eller was selected as the May Queen at Louisburg College, as well as joined Sigma Pi Alpha, in 1964. Six years later, she was named Best Secondary School Practice Teacher at Meredith College and, in 1972, she was named among the Outstanding Young Women of America. The Louisburg High School Teacher of the Year between 1981 and 1982, she became the Talent State Winner at the Senior Olympics in 1998 and first place winner with the Clogging Adult Company from Louisburg High School of Dance in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2000. During this time, Ms. Eller was also co-named the Franklin County Artist of the Year between 1999 and 2000, along with her husband Craig.
Ms. Eller’s father taught music and agriculture at the Normal School in Angol, Chile, and her mother also taught. From the time she was a child, she wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a teacher. Enjoying her retirement, Ms. Eller plays several instruments, dances, practices pottery and art in her spare time. What separates her from other teachers is her relationship with the children. She advises others to be more sociable, and encourages them to maintain persistency, not give up and be positive.