Camas High School’s new principal, Dr. Liza Sejkora, took the reins at CHS this year and already she is adapting well to the new position as students and staff show her the traditions and spirit that make Camas so special. What people may not know about Sejkora, however, are some of the qualities that make her so unique and that helped her earn this coveted job.

Yes, she is the new principal at Camas, but she is also a hiker, a music lover, a traveler, a mother, and BFFs with former CHS Principal Steve Marshall. “Mr. Marshall is my jam. You can quote me on that.”

Sejkora said Marshall left big shoes to fill, but he also left behind three letters: one letter for her to read on a tough day with students, one for a tough day with staff, and a final letter for a tough day in the community.

When it comes to taking over for a well-liked principal like Marshall, Sejkora knows about how much students and the community miss him. She shared a story about supervising a game this year, and how the crowd crossed the line for good sportsmanship. She saw, “A kid had a sign, and after I said something, on the back he wrote ‘We Miss Mr. Marshall’.” So, did it hurt her feelings? “No. It was the funniest thing so far this year.”

That situation was nothing compared to a previous experience: being robbed at gunpoint. In fact, Sejkora says she has been robbed three times. She worked in college as a bank teller in San Diego before moving to Arizona. Once she arrived in Arizona, she went back to college and has not stopped loving school since.

Sejkora has an undergraduate degree in English, a master’s degree and a Doctorate in Educational Administration all from schools in Arizona. She even wants to get another degree for her “retirement job” in either middle school math or special education.

When she is not in school, she loves to travel. She has been to Canada and Mexico, as well as all over Europe. Her favorite place to visit is Toledo, Spain. “It’s the nicest place I’ve been. If I had a whole bunch of money today, I’d go back to Spain.” In fact, part of her doctoral work was a two-week immersion program in Grenada, Spain.

She landed in the Pacific Northwest on purpose. “I would get an interview [in the Portland area] and be a finalist, and then they’d go with someone in the school district.” She says, when she landed the job in Camas, she knew that it was the job she was supposed to get all along. “Living in Camas has been great. My face was on a website, so people already knew me.”

While the community and students get to know her even better, Sejkora is busy running CHS and helping students any way she can. “High school is hard, and I want people to find their niche.”