![Abber El-Baz looks to Panagilinan for advice in trying to transfer her daughter to Marshall. The school registrar is responsible for transferring students in and out, while keeping track of their records. “The cool thing is that with any families that come in, they’ll go, ‘Okay I’m from this country you’ve never heard of’ or, ‘I speak another language,’ [...] or, ‘Oh we have another student from there,’ and, ‘We have a student that speaks the same language as you,” Pangilinan said. “Let’s introduce you [to them].”](http://www.gcmnews.net/media/rnf/files/2017/01/DSC_0030.jpg)
“The cool thing is that with any families that come in, they’ll go, ‘Okay I’m from this country you’ve never heard of’ or, ‘I speak another language,’ […] or, ‘Oh we have another student from there,’ and, ‘We have a student that speaks the same language as you,” Pangilinan said. “Let’s introduce you [to them].”
The role of a school registrar is to maintain student records. Student records include attendance, schedule, immunization records, grades and transfer information. A registrar is also in charge of other duties such as designing diplomas and pamphlets.
As a woman with a diverse career background, Pangilinan not only fits well with the Marshall community, but she is a driving figure in the community that many students do not know.
Pangilinan started her career at Marshall in 2001. She was the transcript secretary until 2012 when she became the registrar.
Pangilinan’s job consists of meeting new, diverse people and registering their children to attend Marshall.
“You get to meet so many people, you get to hear stories, you get to hear about schools all around the world and different cultures,” said Pangilinan. “And all of that is just wonderful. You create this kind of friendship with these families.”
Pangilinan thinks that Northern Virginia is a very diverse area of the country. She is able to find people from all over the world and connect them to people of similar backgrounds here in Fairfax County and at Marshall specifically.
“The cool thing is that with any families that come in they’ll go, ‘Okay I’m from this country you’ve never heard of’ or, ‘I speak another language,’ […] or, ‘Oh we have another student from there,’ and, ‘We have a student that speaks the same language as you,” Pangilinan said. “Let’s introduce you [to them].”
Pangilinan was previously a preschool assistant and later a teacher. She started her job at a preschool because the director noticed her knack for interacting with younger children.
“Watching the kids learn from September when they are just learning concepts to the end of the year when they are confidently telling you stories is really amazing,” Panagilian said.
Panigilian’s behind the scenes role is still a very impactful one and groups of students are often found chatting with her in her office.
“If you need anything this is where you come,” Pangilinan said. “We become moms to students too. It’s hard to turn that off.”