Susan Rohan, assistant principal at Cardozo High School, passed away on Thursday, Step. 19, 2024. She was 59.

Ms. Rohan had been an assistant principal for 19 years and touched many hearts as a teacher for over 36 years. Her passing has left a huge hole within the Cardozo High School family, with both staff and students alike feeling the pain of immense loss and sorrow.

In honor of Ms. Rohan, we asked members of Cardozo’s administration, teachers, and students to share their fondest memories they have of her.

“I had the rare, distinct pleasure to work with Susan as both a teacher and a fellow administrator here at Cardozo. In both capacities, she was warm, engaging, and always supportive. When I was a teacher at Cardozo, she was always a person I could turn to with any questions. When I became an AP, she welcomed me into the Cabinet and was so happy to see me join her admin team. She loved celebrating others’ successes. Susan loved all the great things in life – family, friends, fun, food, and a good show (be it Broadway, a concert, or even a performance at a restaurant where she happened to be eating. I never heard her say a bad word about anyone and she did not have a mean bone in her body. Susan loved teaching her students and told me it was always the best part of her day – that even when she was having a so-so day, she could count her on her students to turn it around.

Susan was the first with a joke or a funny response during any conversation. She approached each day with a light heart and found the fun in every situation. She was a joyous presence who made everyone around her feel comfortable, happy, and welcome. Although her position will be eventually be filled, she will never and can never be replaced.” — Emily Rothenberg, Assistant Principal of Testing and Data

“Ms. Rohan was one of the most dedicated admins in this building, the fact that she happy took care of math, science, language, and college now was a testament to how much she cared about this school and its students, she will be missed but never forgotten.” — Phoebe Eligon-Jones, Dean, Teacher, Gateway Advisor

“To me, Ms. Rohan was just the sweetest to all of us in the math department. Ms Rohan hired me and really helped me out during the first few years of my career, she really took her time to guide me. She always went above and beyond to make everybody as happy as she can. She meant a lot to a lot of us.” —Lewis Boble, Teacher

“When I was at Dozo she was always at school with a smile on her face and she truly was my favorite teacher. It truly saddened me when I heard she left us, but her memory and spirit  will always be alive.” — Melissa Fernandez, Cardozo Alumnus

“I used to love seeing Ms. Rohan in the hallways. She always had a sweet smile on her face and had the best intentions for students.” — Emily Solorzano Alvarenga, Student

“She was a very valued member of the mathematics department at QCC where she worked as an adjunct professor for many years. She was warm and very collegial, she will be greatly missed” —Professor Franco, Math Department, QCC.

“When I think of Ms. Rohan, I always see her beautiful smile and hear her joyous voice.  wherever I see her, in the hallways or office, she would always happily say, “Hi, Irena.”  She was never angry, she was always positive, and would make a joke out of a bad situation.” — Irena Waga, Teacher

“Ms. Rohan was tremendously professional. She had a beautiful soul and had a great sense of humor. I will miss her greatly.” — Alison Perrenod, Dean

“I liked Ms. Rohan’s energy in the morning, she was a very calm person. Her ‘good mornings’ were very welcoming and she was always respectful to me.” – Melanie Gonzalez, Student

“Since I’ve become a dean I began to get to know her. I learned she had a good sense of humor, a nice heart, and a caring personality. I enjoyed the mornings with her as a dean and enjoyed the moments I had with her. She really cared about the school, teachers, and kids. I’m sad she’s not here anymore with us.” — Risa Eshaghian, Teacher and Dean

“She never stopped. She was a hard worker.” — Maria Le, Teacher

“Even surrounded by the chaos of the school she was always happy, positive and she would always ask you about your life outside of school. Everything wasn’t always about business she would ask about your kids or your weekend plans and it was always nice and refreshing.” — Diana Ryan, Teacher

“She was honestly, the first teacher in Dozo who I actually understood her teaching most of the time. She put a lot of effort into teaching. During the pandemic, she would upload videos of her teaching so that we had a better understanding in pre calc. She was the only teacher that did this. It made her unique in some way, showing that she cared alot. At that time, I didn’t think much about it, but now I realized how special it was.” — Andre Velasquez, Student and Owner of @dozo_laughs

“Ms. Rohan was a beloved teacher by all, and it saddens the entire Cardozo community that she is gone. She will always be remembered to me as a passionate teacher who loved her job and loved her students.” – Mevlia Zilkic, Student

“Ms. Rohan was a very loving and caring person and the Cardozo community lost someone very special.” — Alissa Amato, Teacher

“She seemed bubbly and energetic, she always seemed to put a smile on teacher’s faces. She always had a carefree type of tone, and had this nice feeling towards her. If you were having an upsetting day, she’d calm it down and she’d always help students, always willing to help them pass as best as she could.” — Sophia Mendez, Student

“Ms. Rohan was an amazing teacher who made math enjoyable with her passion for teaching.” — Brandon Moy, Cardozo Alumnus

“I admit I didn’t know her that well, I never had classes with her. But the very few times I saw her around the school she had this positive energy that disseminated throughout the room. Her spirit seemed sweet.” — Madison King, Student

“Ms. Rohan’s best characteristics can be summed up in three words: kind, patient, and knowledgable. She showed great empathy and genuinely cared about students, staff, and all those around her. She said once to me, ‘Everything we do, we do for our students.’” — Milton Chen, Teacher

“Ms.Rohan was a kind-hearted, down-to-earth type of person. Always willing to help people in need.” — Lynora Brown, Student

“Ms. Rohan was a lovely, sweet, kindhearted woman. She was very positive and always happy. She will be missed very much.” — Aleeya Johnson, Student

“She was liked by everyone who worked for her and was always happy to be at work each and every day.” — Sean O’Connor, Teacher and Coach

“Ms. Rohan was a caring loving soul that would always be there for her students while making her students feel safe in the environment they were in.” — Khloe Camacho, Student

“Ms.Rohan was always on the 3rd floor making sure that the students were in class. Many times I was one of those students she told to get to class and honestly, it motivated me to go. Now I’m always in class when I need to be. I’ll miss seeing her so much.” — Avery White, Student

“Many teachers and students in the building looked up to Ms. Rohan, and she will be missed.” — Adam Allen, Teacher

“Ms. Rohan was very kind and always willing to help. There was this one time when I left my jacket in the computer lab and it was closed and she helped me open it. Even though she tried all her keys and none worked, she tried again as she saw I was worried about my jacket. She ended up spending 15 minutes with me trying to open that door. That was the most memorable moment I had with her.” -James Bao, Student