Meet the Head of Upper School

Aline Garcia-Rubio ’93

Aline Garcia-Rubio is committed to maintaining a school culture where lifelong learning is the norm, with teachers leading the way. Teacher modeling, she says “generates an environment in which there is high intellectual capacity, curiosity, and insight. And the kids feel that.”

Aline spent her junior year of high school at Catlin Gabel as a foreign exchange student from Mexico City. After receiving her medical degree from Universidad La Salle Mexico City, she taught biology, human anatomy, and physiology at Punahou School in Honolulu. She returned to Catlin Gabel in the fall of 2006 as a teacher of advanced biology and integrated science. Subsequently, Aline served as Science Department Chair for the Upper School; Science Curriculum Leader for the entire school; Upper School Assistant Head; and Upper School Dean of Students. She has been Head of Upper School since 2017.

"School, and then high school, is life itself," Aline says. "It's not just a springboard onto something else. That's part of what we're doing: We're preparing students for the next stage, but we're also doing this stage very well. We're creating an excellent environment for them to be in while they navigate this stage of their life."