A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Steve Santana

Steve Santana has 31 years experience in education. This experience includes teaching, coaching, and leading administrative efforts.

“I’ve been with La Porte Community School Corporation for 27 years,” he said. “This includes 16 years as La Porte High School’s assistant athletic director and four years as the high school’s athletic director, which is the role I’m in currently. I’ve also spent time coaching the varsity baseball team.”

Santana himself is a 1990 graduate of La Porte High School. In high school, baseball was his main sport.

“My early education career began in other nearby school districts, including Warsaw,” Santana said. “The rest of my career has been spent in La Porte Community School District, where I grew up.”

For Santana, returning to the district in which he himself learned and played athletics has been nothing short of a gift.

“It really is special,” he said. “Having the opportunity to shape and form students within the walls that also shaped and formed me is not something everyone has access to. The fact that I also had the opportunity to coach a sport I loved and played while in high school within the same school is truly a one-of-a-kind experience.”

Sports definitely run in the family. Santana’s wife is also very into athletics.

“My wife also likes sports,” Santana said. “We like to watch and participate in athletics.”

The couple met while earning their undergraduate degree at Ball State University. Santana’s wife is from nearby Chesterton.

The Santanas have two daughters who are major athletes and also attended La Porte schools.

“Our girls are grown and, like myself, were educated and played sports throughout their childhood in La Porte Community School Corporation,” Santana said. “They were in school while I was also working in the district, which was very special. I was able to go to their games and watch them learn and grow firsthand.”

Both of their daughters’ primary sport was volleyball, playing it at the college level.

“One played at the University of Indianapolis, and the other played at Wright State in Dayton,” Santana said.

The Santanas love to travel. While their children are grown, the couple is still very busy and try to take time to travel as much as they can.

“My wife and I are very busy with work and life. We take every opportunity to travel that we can get,” Santana said. “We love traveling.”

Santana is grateful for the local community and all of the experiences he’s had in La Porte.

“It’s a small, tight-knit community,” Santana said. “It’s a great place to raise a family and it’s very supportive of its local sports.”

As Santana continues his work within La Porte Community School Corporation, he will be able to lean on the memories made from his experiences in La Porte. All of this will no doubt continue to be poured back into the community, including directly to the students.