Meet 8 Hispanic Teachers Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress Through Teaching

For more than 50 years, Americans have been observing National Hispanic Heritage Month, a 30-day celebration of contributions made by achievers of Caribbean, Central American, Mexican, South American, and Spanish heritage. The celebration starts on September 15 and ends on October 15. 

The September 15 start date marks the independence anniversaries of Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Days later, Mexico and Chile gained their independence. Hence, the significance of the mid-September launch to the month-long celebration. 

This year's theme is "Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America," which is a reminder that our beloved country benefits greatly from the contributions made by visionaries of Hispanic and Latinx descent whose insights, culture and values propel America forward economically, politically, and socially.

Among these visionaries are teachers who advance the future by helping new generations of young people thrive academically and personally. They’ve experienced the impact of exceptional educators in their lives and seek to pay forward their good fortune through teaching. They work tirelessly to drive students to prosperous and empowered futures that enable them to build on America's progress. 

These educators are not only committed to serving our youth as teachers, but they are also committed to being role models, providing representation and high-quality education to students of all backgrounds. Many of their lived experiences reflect the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data indicating that Latinx students are among the least likely in the United States to have a teacher who looks like them. As teachers, they are actively working to change this statistic one classroom at a time.

Rutgers Alternate Route proudly presents eight teachers making a difference in school districts in our state. Learn about their commitment to driving prosperity, power, and progress in America through teaching.

Paula Bertran, Art Teacher

When I was 14, I got into Design and Architecture High School (DASH) in Miami and graduated four years later knowing that I wanted to pursue my passions in art, thanks to my many influential art teachers. I attended Philadelphia's famed Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where for four years I painted, sculpted, and drew to my heart's desire. But after graduating, I did not have much of a plan, and I had no clue how I would finance a freelance art career.  

Filled with anxiety and confusion about where life would take me, I applied for a job at PAFA as their event coordinator. For about a year after graduating, I worked in that role, where I helped facilitate events like weddings, corporate parties, and exhibition receptions. I thought to myself, 'It’s not a job where I can make art but at least I can be in a building filled with art.' It quickly became not enough and not nearly as fulfilling as I had hoped.

In 2016, in another turn of events, I was laid off from PAFA. I was unemployed and depressed with no sense of purpose. After applying for many jobs in museums and galleries, none of which I ever heard back from, I decided to go for the art sub position at a high school a block from my house. My mom had been a teacher for many years, and she always pushed me to try it out. Though it wasn’t initially my first choice of career, I thought back at all the influential art teachers I had at DASH and how I could be that for someone else.  

Teaching has turned out to be even more challenging than everyone always said it would be but there was something special about it. I can help students, whether in art or just by listening to them and showing them I care. In teaching art, I am able to talk about art, create alongside my students, and help bring up the next generation of artists. 

It has unexpectedly become my calling and the career path I wanted to pursue.

Segundo Chiclayo, Mathematics Teacher
 

I've always believed that I was destined to be a teacher. Even as a child, I loved helping others learn. I enjoyed teaching my schoolmates and younger siblings. In high school, I continued teaching my schoolmates, especially mathematics, after struggling with algebra. While in college as a chemical engineering major, I even founded an academy to teach kids in my community. Later, I started teaching my own children, and they all succeeded in their classes.

Years later, I migrated to the United States to start a new life. I started by studying ESL and refreshing my math knowledge at a local community college. Soon, I started helping students as a math tutor. I eventually earned my master's degree and began teaching in high schools as a substitute teacher and later taught at various universities, where I saw the many problems students face. What I realized basically is that students are not well prepared to face college courses. 

So, I understood that there was something else for me. I decided to become more directly involved in education and took a position at East Side High School teaching Algebra I.

I am convinced that teaching is a great honor and responsibility and an amazing opportunity to change many lives in the community just by doing what you know to do. I'm now in my third year of teaching at Eastside High School, and I look forward to impacting generations with sentiments of gratitude and service.

Yadelkys Franscisco, Elementary School Teacher
 

Growing up in a small village in the Dominican Republic, I never imagined that I would one day become a teacher in Newark, New Jersey. My family and I immigrated to New York City when I was 13 years old, and I had to take a break from my studies to help my parents sustain our home. Eventually, I graduated from Bronx Community College with an associate degree in early childhood education and then finished my bachelor's degree in history at Lehman College. Although my main goal was to become a social studies teacher, I was only able to finish with a bachelor's in history.

After graduating in 2022, I knew that I wanted to become a teacher and heard about Teach for America (TFA). I was selected to join the corps and a group of recent college graduates in the fight for equity in education for Black and minority students. Teaching stands for everything that I, as a minority Latina, also stand for. It helps me serve my community, be a role model for younger generations of people of color and demonstrate representation as an educator with whom they can identify. 

By teaching, I am also able to show my five younger siblings that education is a great way for us minorities to empower ourselves and give back to the communities that we grew up in.

I am currently teaching second grade at TEAM KIPP NJ charter school's network. When I am not teaching, I like to listen to pop and gospel music, and I also enjoy writing poems and short stories.

Edwin Guillermo, Chemistry and Physics Teacher
 

Growing up in a family of do-it-yourselfers, I was taught never to accept information blindly. Education was about building a bank of knowledge to avoid being taken advantage of, along with building good habits and developing good judgment. I have taken that to heart in my teaching philosophy. 

I do not teach with the intention of getting my students to enjoy or develop an interest in the material. Instead, I use chemistry and physics as mediums to teach about life. I incorporate life lessons into all aspects of my class and explain why all of it is necessary to push my students beyond simply being sheep in this complicated world.

I currently teach at my alma mater, Pennsauken High School (PHS), which is classified as an urban school with a high population of financially disadvantaged students. Many people associate the school with student delinquency; I hate that label with a burning passion. All places have good seeds and bad seeds, and many of the “bad seeds” have adverse child experiences that at least explain but do NOT excuse their behavior. I understand and respect the fact that many of my students are genuinely going through things that many adults would struggle with, and they’re still showing up for class. Those students don’t need to be reprimanded every day for not reading or getting assignments in on time. They need some love and support.

As a Pennsauken High School student, I appreciated the compassion and attention to detail—not just academic details—all of my teachers demonstrated. They made me feel welcome and genuinely cared about my growth. I love this district and I wanted to give back to all my students the same love I felt growing up in the district!

If I did not get the job at Pennsauken High School, I would not be teaching because my entire motivation for teaching was to give back to that specific school because my high school experience was very influential in my development. The teachers there were amazing, and I wanted to return that favor.

Roy Muriel, Health and Physical Education Teacher 
 

Growing up as an only child of immigrant parents in Paterson, New Jersey, was not easy. I attended three schools, including a private school where I was kicked out in first grade for behavioral problems. I faced many challenges in public schools, including bullying, peer pressure, and distractions. Despite these challenges, my mother introduced me to soccer, which always made me feel alive and full of energy. 

In eighth grade, I applied and was accepted into Passaic County Technical Institute, a high school where I was exposed to new things and new people. I learned different trades, played sports, and made tons of new friends. It was here that I met the best teachers, life coaches, friends, and love for passion. This is where I knew what I wanted to be in life. I wanted to be the teacher with whom students could relate the most and impact them in a positive way.
 

In high school, 90 percent of my teachers were great educators, but what was most impactful was that they were also great humans. They showed many characteristics that influenced me and shaped me into the person/teacher I am today. They showed respect to their students, cared about their work and their students' work, were honest, had a sense of humor, came to work on a regular basis, and most importantly, were humble and understanding. Even today, I continue to have close contact with many of the teachers who inspired me to follow my dream and inspire others.
 

As a fourth-year high school teacher and a fifth-year coach for a professional soccer organization, I have nothing but gratitude for these individuals. These are the reasons why I teach at an urban school district to pass down the same traits that were taught to me. I want to inspire the student who isn't sure what to do in life while facing other personal struggles. I want to show them that everything and anything is possible if you follow your heart and surround yourself with the right people.

Mairen Yurany Rodriguez Chavez, ESL Teacher
 

In America education is abundant and comes with many options, but this is not always the case everywhere. I grew up in Guateque - Boyacá, Colombia, where not everybody has the same education or opportunities. For example, students who live in the country and small towns do not have the opportunity to have more than one teacher for every 50 students. There are no supplies in the classroom like pencils, notebooks, books, computers, or food. 

Nevertheless, I attended Colegio Nacional Enrrique Olaya Herrera until eleventh grade. While there, I participated in band, volleyball, softball, and basketball. Then, l went to college to study psychology for five years and I graduated in 2017. I got my first job as a psychologist in the same year as my graduation year.  

While l was working as a psychologist, I went to college again for one more year and l got a neuropsychologist certification in the education field.  After two years of working, I decided to move to the United States.  I started learning English almost two years ago. Even though the process is hard, and l am still learning English, I feel proud of myself for being able to learn another language.  

My first Job in the United States was as a cashier in Shoprite. After that, l worked as an ESL paraprofessional at Neptune School for two years. While working there, I realized that the best path for me and my process of learning English was to become an ESL teacher. I love to support children who are learning English because I know what the struggles that English learners are going through. Also, working as an ESL teacher and going to college to be an ESL teacher helps me to improve my English skills.  

I love being a teacher, and I strongly believe that everyone should have access to and the right to equal educational opportunities. Education should not be taken for granted nor dismissed as a tedious task. It is essential that everybody understands this point and that education is gold and should be highly prioritized.  

Zasha Santiago, Elementary School Teacher
 

School was always my haven. I was the kid who was actually excited to go to class and signed up for as many after-school activities as possible. My teachers were a big part of why school felt safe and happy, and I’ve never forgotten that feeling, the feeling that they were a safe space. 

As a teacher, it is my goal to be that for my students. I teach in a place that is similar to where I grew up in terms of socio-economics, and I know first-hand the struggles some of my students face. I help provide that feeling of safety by showing my students kindness, treating them like human beings first and foremost, listening to their input and concerns and making them feel like they are important. I believe that students should be an active part of the classroom environment by setting their own goals, participating in classroom jobs, setting classroom expectations for themselves, and participating in classroom meetings where they can express their thoughts and concerns.

Teaching was always in the back of my mind as something I should be doing.  As a child, I would always play teacher at home. I would ask my teachers for extra handouts and supplies so I could teach my brothers and their friends at home. I have always loved learning, and my hobbies reflect this.  They include reading and writing as much as I can and listening to podcasts about topics I am interested in. As an adult, I gravitated towards working in childcare roles where I was able to be a teacher in a way.

The pivotal moment in my teaching journey came when my husband and I decided to move from Brooklyn to New Jersey. Changing my career to become a teacher became a more active thought in my head. Then, just before the move, my grandmother passed away; she always said that I should be a teacher. While cleaning out her apartment I found an apple-shaped broach and was swept up in the memory of how she always wore fun broaches. I felt that the broach I found was meant for me as a message from my grandmother. On my first day of teaching, I wore that broach as a way to honor her. It took me a long time to get here, but thanks to my grandmother, I am realizing my lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.

Sergio Solier-Luna, Social Studies Teacher
 

As a young educator currently teaching social studies for fifth and sixth graders, I never imagined myself being in the teaching field. I have various interests and hobbies but my top one is sports, especially soccer. I was born and raised in Peru until age nine and had a passion for soccer due to my family's interests in the sport. It was such a part of my life growing up that even now I love watching it, sometimes playing it whenever there’s leisure time. 

I also grew to love documentaries and history-related movies as a young boy. I especially liked the classic movie The Mummy and its sequel. They inspired me to learn more about history and explore the vast content of our past as humans. My fascination with history also ignited my teaching interests. 

When I was an undergraduate student at William Paterson University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with fantastic professors who were both inspiring, motivated, and passionate about their course material. As I observed my professors teach the material with infectious enthusiasm, I was constantly intrigued by the topics and engaged during class. I felt that I could acquire and deliver that same discussion and analytical style in a classroom.  

During college, while finishing my bachelor's degree, I began to work as a substitute teacher. I enjoyed passing my knowledge on to others, and I recognized my positive impact on the students' lives and the curriculum. Soon, I received an offer for an aide position in a special education classroom. I quickly acquired the ability to motivate the students to work hard. In that position, I began learning about class management, lesson plans, objectives, and culture-setting and organization. But most importantly, I became passionate about helping students achieve their full potential.  

I’ve had teachers inspire and go out of their way to make sure I understood the lesson or content, which makes me do the same for the students I teach. My goal is to be like those extraordinary educators who use deep learning strategies by connecting ideas with life lessons that intrigue students. I am interested in teaching students not just history content but how to engage in “deep learning” while referencing contemporary examples or current events so they can understand the meaning of our social studies lessons.
 

If you’re considering following your dream of teaching, Rutgers Alternate Route can offer you the support and training you need to succeed. Be sure to follow Rutgers Alternate Route on Twitter or sign up for Alternate Route’s monthly newsletter for more information and stories from the field of education.