These Hispanic Teachers Are Empowering Students in NJ Classrooms 

Since 1968 Americans have been observing National Hispanic Heritage Month, a thirty-day celebration of contributions made by achievers of Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, Central American and South American heritage. September 15 kicks off this special period of recognition, and we honor the many accomplishments, the diverse cultural traditions, and the rich and expansive history of Hispanic and Latin American people through October 15.  This year's theme “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation” is a reminder from the Hispanic and Latinx communities that our strength as a nation is rooted in our ability to leverage the diversity among us and ensure that all Americans share equally in the promise of our beloved country.  The teachers we are honoring this year for National Hispanic Heritage Month are keenly aware of this. They share a strong belief that education supports inclusivity, along with ancestry linking them to Hispanic and Latinx cultures. 

Though their names may not yet be in history books, each featured teacher is a heroic figure investing in the strength of our nation by helping students thrive academically and personally. Some of them are career-changers who left other professions to serve as teachers, while others intentionally set out to pay forward the life-changing educational experiences they had because of a great teacher. 

With New Jersey schools and districts across the nation seeing the effects of the great resignation in classrooms while also struggling to address workforce diversity, 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. Statewide, only eight percent of all teachers are Hispanic while more than one-third of all New Jersey students claim this demographic identity. These students, according to the Pew Research Center, are the least likely in the United States to have a teacher who looks like them. Similarly, students of other backgrounds may never encounter a Hispanic or Latinx teacher. The teachers in our blog feature are actively working to change this statistic while enhancing the education experience of all students.  

Rutgers Alternate Route is proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting our teachers of Hispanic and Latin American descent and their evident impact on the lives of the students they serve.  We reaffirm the invaluable ways that people of Hispanic and Latin American descent enrich the American tapestry of resilience, advancement, and excellence and express gratitude for their empowering presence in New Jersey's classroom. 

Mercedes Allen 

Although my bachelor's degree is in Legal Studies and I was a paralegal for fifteen years, life led me to teaching and I could not be happier!  I believe every student regardless of background, ethnicity and socioeconomic status deserves access to a high quality, fair and relevant education.  I came to this understanding through my own experience as a native Spanish speaker born in the United States but raised in Central America until age six.  This belief has fueled my passion for educating and nurturing students from similar backgrounds or whose families have very little resources to advance their education.  

My experiences as not only a bilingual American citizen, but an immigration paralegal, illuminated for me the fact that this population of children needs an advocate who understands and empathizes with their plight. This is why I made the decision to transition my career from law to education.  I was a volunteer literacy tutor, and I am currently teaching ESL in middle and high school.  

My decision to become a teacher was intensely personal and revolved around paying forward my own good fortune, connecting with my students, and creating a safe learning environment for them. The gratitude I feel for the opportunities I’ve been given compels me to give back to this community of students in order to help them reach their potential.  I use my personal experiences to provide the foundation for profound connection with my students, which is fundamental to their investment in their own education. I also provide my students with a secure, caring and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially--free of cultural and language barriers. 

As I share my own passion for learning with my students, it is my personal goal to help them become excited, positive, and interested in school, as well as life-long learning and education. I'm thankful for programs like Rutgers Alternate Route that allow someone like me to make the switch to a teaching career! 

Nataly Baltazar  

My desire to teach Spanish began when I was an undergraduate student in college taking a biology class as part of my pre-medical course of study. Since I was always very compassionate and patient with children, I had decided to become a pediatrician. However, in my first semester as a freshman, I took the Fundamentals of Spanish Grammar course taught by Professor Soto to fulfill the world languages requirement and discovered my passion for the Spanish language.  I took more and more Spanish classes, eventually earning enough credits to graduate with an additional bachelor’s degree in Spanish along with my pre-med degree.  

In addition to my love for Spanish, I also discovered my love for teaching during college when I joined Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.   As a Sigma Delta Pi member, I was given the opportunity to help various students with their Spanish classes. I served as a one-on-one tutor for undergraduates taking Spanish and a classroom to tutor larger groups. Those experiences led to my selection as one of Sigma Delta Pi’s estudiantes  instructores project, which gave me the opportunity to teach two lessons of Fundamentals of Spanish, a 200-level college course.  

Immediately following graduation, I started working as a Spanish instructor for a pre-college program serving Newark students during the summer. I, then, took a year-long position as a Spanish translator before returning to work with students again.  To get classroom experience, I started working as a special education aide and substitute teacher.  After three years working with elementary students as a special education aide and substitute teacher, I wanted to continue working with this age group permanently; so, I became a Spanish teacher.  I truly care about children and would like to make a difference in their lives by contributing to their education. I strongly believe that education provides children with what they need to be creative, confident, successful, and productive in our society. As an educator, I strive to provide a safe and positive leaning environment where my students feel valued and motivated. 

I am currently teaching Spanish in Passaic, New Jersey and helping middle school students explore the benefits of being bilingual and understand the importance of knowing Spanish, the second most spoken language in the United States. 

Francisco Flores 

As a student in high school, I looked up to my chemistry teacher. At first, I was not interested in the subject but somehow, by the end of the first marking period, I enjoyed chemistry. I found myself not only paying attention to what was taught, but how seemingly difficult concepts were taught. The way my teacher made complex formulas comprehensible or accompanied theoretical information with fun anecdotes eased the learning process. She was fair, set high expectations for us, and explained the content clearly. 

Since I was a relatively good student in high school, I was selected to be a math tutor. This was my first experience in reteaching math skills to struggling high school students. The peer-to-peer tutoring was rewarding because I was able to help fellow students grasp math concepts. Students were appreciative of my help. 

In college, my Formal Systems of Computations professor taught me how to think abstractly. At the time, the class covered concepts that were difficult for me to grasp. Not used to scoring relatively low on exams, I realized that by making mistakes we also learn; in fact, errors present opportunities to improve. The professor was able to convey the importance of mathematical rigor and, by challenging us on problem sets, elevated our problem-solving skills. Upon graduating, through a program called Education for Action, I taught computer literacy in indigenous communities in Guatemala. In this educational experience, Mayan youth, who previously had no exposure to modern technology, were able to learn basic computer skills. Given the right tools and an opportunity to learn, I observed, any community can thrive and improve their daily lives.  

More recently, after several years of being a small business owner, I began to pivot toward a career in education. I revisited my interest in teaching by becoming a substitute teacher. During this experience, I confirmed that I enjoyed teaching.  When facilitating or conveying concepts, my students were engaged. I was able to connect lessons with real world applications.  As a mathematics teacher in Newark, New Jersey, I strive to make math relevant to students and to ignite a passion for lifelong learning through problem centered learning which prepares students for real life situations. In this process, I have found professional renewal as a teacher.   

Anibal Guzman-Aquino  

Teaching and teachers saved me, and I want to be a part of that for someone else. I came to the United States from Mexico at the age of fourteen years old, I did not speak any English or have any knowledge of the culture here. Neither did my parents. I signed up for middle school with the help of a Spanish teacher who attended my church in Tuckerton, New Jersey. The first months were very intense for me psychologically. I did not feel welcome in the US, and it was a tough time for me as a person and as a student because I didn’t understand anything that was going on.  Clearly, school was not easy for me at all during those first months. 

With my limited English, I wrote a letter to my 10th grade English teacher, explaining in a nutshell that I wanted to learn more, but I was very discouraged because I couldn’t keep up with her class. It wasn’t teaching me English as a second language; it was more literature. She took that letter to the principal who called me into the office for a meeting.  My Spanish teacher translated during the meeting, explaining that, in the past the school has had students like me in the district, but they have not stayed long enough for the district to make a serious commitment to hiring an ESL teacher.  Maybe that’s why I was given three Spanish classes, two English classes and fill ups. I told them that I was there to learn and that I wouldn’t leave until I graduated. Everything changed when I met Mrs. Marr,  a first-year ESL teacher who had just moved to New Jersey from Maryland to retire in Long Beach Island. She was so kind, patient and caring that it made me want to be like her.  If she could change my life, maybe I could change the lives of others by teaching a new language.  

During the summer after high school, I enrolled in ESL classes at Ocean County College, riding the bus for 3 hours round-trip to learn enough English to pass the entrance exam to Ocean County College and start college in the fall of 2007. It took me about two years to get to an intermediate level of English.  I completed my classes and graduated from Ocean County College in 2010 and then went on to graduate from Stockton University in May of 2012.  

Teaching and teachers saved me from going back to a country where opportunities are scarce. It also saved me from a dead-end job as a day-laborer.  Now that I am a teacher of Spanish at South Brunswick High School, I encourage my students to learn from my story and to strive for more than even what their parents want from them, to reach for the stars and go after their dreams. 

Lexie Navarro 

From a very early age, I fell in love with school and learning. I loved to understand how things worked, and I was constantly questioning everything around me. I excelled in school because the process of learning, understanding, and then applying what I learned fueled me. The satisfaction of overcoming challenges was second to none.  

One of my very first real interests in science was when I was in the 5th grade and my teacher Mr. Zap taught us about physics, specifically kinetic and potential energy. While learning about this, we had a project which required us to build our very own rollercoasters out of paper and tape. One of the requirements was having a full loop and we had to test our rollercoasters with marbles. If the marble completed the track, then we were successful. I remember being so involved and fascinated with that project and trying everything to get that marble to run a full course.  

I admired my teachers so much for teaching me about so many cool things and giving me the tools to try them out for myself. Moving forward into middle and high school, my love for school, and specifically science, continued to grow. I was blessed to have an amazing teacher for my first two years in high school who really believed in me and saw the potential in me to be an educator. I wanted to be exactly like the teachers who helped shape me. Without great teachers, my life could have gone in a completely different direction. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been so interested in science had it not been for these amazing teachers along the way who helped me to discover this part of myself. 

Going into college, I knew getting my degree in science was a no-brainer and so I attended the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers. I received my B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources and I never looked back. I had an amazing educational journey, learned so much, and became an expert in my field. I knew that above all else, I wanted to share my love and passion of science with young minds.  I decided to go into the teaching profession because of my belief that all students deserve a chance and when students are supported and guided by teachers who care, the sky is the limit. This career is so satisfying to me, because even on the other side, I still get to learn something new every day, and every time I see my students get excited about the same things I remember learning for the first time, I am rushed with nostalgia and happiness. It is truly a priceless feeling to give back. 

F. Joseph Sepúlveda  

I grew up in New Jersey as a Spanish-speaking student of color from the Caribbean. Like most of my students in Newark, I come from what often gets labelled as “low-income” or “urban” school districts. Because I went to a magnet high school in a prosperous suburb where I was able to take AP courses, I was able to see how educational opportunities and success depend greatly on social background, language, and access to resources.  As such, I became a teacher after years of graduate work in literary studies, and with a commitment to helping my communities and students of color specifically. 

During my early years in school, I did not see any representations of Caribbean writers and artists, and less of Afro-Caribbean ones. In Honors English high school classes, however, I was exposed to a few minority voices, Sandra Cisneros author of House on Mango Street and Chinua Achebe author of Things Fall Apart. These early experiences led me to become a teacher committed to combat the lack of opportunities and access that students of color have to critical reading and writing that reflect their diverse cultural and linguistic background.  

While studying at Rutgers for my bachelor’s and master's degrees, I focused on the literature of ethnic writers and Black writers specifically. Now as a teacher, I teach with an investment in these writers’ voices. I introduce my students, most of whom are of Latin American background or African American, to the critical literary work of “minority” voices, focusing on African and African descendant writers in the Americas. I also teach, for example, the writing of many Caribbean people, such as the Dominican American poet Elizabeth Acevedo and well-known author Junot Diaz as well as the very critical anticolonial work of Jamaica Kincaid. Given the highly controversial aspects of some of the narratives I teach, I often facilitate debates on social issues while providing students with ample resources for becoming better analytical readers and writers within and outside the classroom where they do most of their thinking. I want my students to become productive thinkers, to ask questions, and to challenge what they read through active engagement. 

My own upbringing in urban NJ has made me very empathetic toward my students, many of whom are in reality student workers. I encourage them to aim for high expectations while keeping in mind that teaching is a very human profession—an art of care and patience with students. 

Ingrid Rodriguez 

I am a mother of twins who has a passion for science, teaching, and understanding human behavior. This is how I landed in a special education classroom.  I always dreamed of being a successful psychologist, so I enrolled in the Psychology program at my local university and obtained my bachelor's degree in 2007.  That same year I became a mother of boy/girl twins, and my journey to become a psychologist was put on pause. I quickly realized that in order to continue pursuing my professional goals, I needed to obtain an advanced degree in addition to my bachelor’s.  

While completing my master’s degree in human behavior my son was diagnosed with autism and a year later my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and an anxiety disorder. I was abruptly introduced to the world of special education and all the associated services that come with it. My son started to receive Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and the impact it had on his progress was irrefutable. My journey into the field of ABA immediately began.  I enrolled at Rutgers University to complete all the necessary coursework to become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. I found a field that combined my greatest passions, now paired with the ability to impact other’s lives.  

I left my job as senior coordinator in a case management department and accepted a teacher assistant position at Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center.  I knew I had to work my way up from the bottom and sought to learn as much as I could. Within a year I was promoted to lead classroom assistant and then a year after that I was promoted to classroom teacher. For more than a decade now, I have been able to help many families, but most importantly I have learned how to help my own children be successful. I am continuing my journey to become a BCBA and have obtained not only my Teacher of K-6 certification but also my Teacher of Students with Disabilities certification. 

I saw firsthand what a difference a passionate teacher can make in the lives of their students and their families as the mother of two children with special needs myself. I entered the world of teaching to improve the lives of children with special needs. My role as an educator of my special needs students is to address the unique needs of every student in my class a hundred times a day, if necessary, to ensure that they can be successful. 

Miguel Ruiz  

I teach because I love working with kids. I feel as if this is the job I was born to do, and so far in my teaching career I have discovered two things that have inspired me above all else. These two ideas come to serve the fact that I am right where I belong, making a difference in the world and being a servant to both students and parents. The first is that kids seem to take a liking to me. More importantly, I feel respect from them. Aside from the kids in my class, I try to establish relationships with other children in the school, which is an incredibly rewarding experience. The second idea is that I teach because I thoroughly enjoy it. Very often I feel very fortunate that I’m able to do this work and I do not consider it a “job”. Again, I serve my kids, their parents and the school and I try to take that mindset into the classroom every day.  

While being in the classroom, I have attempted to harness my instruction skills but there is one thing above all else that I feel truly matters to become a truly effective educator--getting to know and establishing relationships with your students.  This is vital. It is said that “students don’t care what you know until they know how much you care.” I believe in this wholeheartedly, and I absolutely love learning about my kids.  

I also feel very strongly that, in addition to instruction, a teacher should have a goal of creating better citizens and human beings. A famous basketball coach said that he was much more interested in helping to create and shape quality human beings than he was coaching the game of basketball. I can relate to this because I’m equally invested in my students being kind and compassionate human beings as I am in their earning A’s on the tests I give.    

I teach in a New Jersey community where some of my kids live in a single parent household or lack a father figure in their lives. As a male in the teaching profession, I know that I can bring a different perspective and truly make a difference in the lives of kids without a male role model. My kids spend about as much, if not more time in my classroom than they do in their own home; so it is my duty and my honor to serve as a role model for them. 

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.