For National Hispanic Heritage Month, here are 4 outstanding Hispanic educators that have made a difference in the education industry and inspire the next generation of learners.
Gabriela Mistral
Gabriela Mistral was an elementary and secondary school teacher for many years before her poetry made her famous. Playing an important role in Mexico and Chile’s educational system, Mistral defended the right of children, women, and the poor. She also contributed her extensive knowledge and talents to the field of higher education as a teacher of Spanish literature at Columbia University. In 1945, Mistral was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature — making her the first-ever South American to receive this prestigious honor
Read more about Gabriela Mistral here
Jaime Escalante
Jamie Escalante started an unconventional advanced math program for troubled students in a violent Los Angeles school, becoming famous for leading many of them to pass advanced placement calculus test. In 1988, a movie was devoted to the determination and discrimination Escalante and his students faced, called Stand and Deliver.
“If we expect kids to be losers, they will be losers; if we expect them to be winners, they will be winners,” he said. “They rise, or fall, to the level of the expectations of those around them, especially their parents and their teachers.”
Read more about Jaime Escalante here
Robert R. Davila
Robert Davila set multiple firsts, becoming the first minority to enroll at Gallaudent University, the first deaf person appointed by the President of the United States to a policy position, the first Gallaudet graduate promoted to Vice President and second to serve as President, the first deaf person appointed Director of the Kendall School, the first deaf person to serve as Headmaster of the New York School for the Deaf and first appointed to the school’s board of trustees, the first deaf person elected to the Hunter College Hall of Fame, and more.
Read more about Robert R. Davila here
Dr. France A. Córdova
Dr France A. Córdova is an experienced leader in science, engineering, and education with more than three decades of experience at universities and national labs. She served as the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), making her the first Latina to hold the position. Dr. Córdova has had a career as a university president and NASA Chief Scientist and has consistently worked to increase Hispanic representation in STEM fields. Through her leadership, Dr. Córdova has championed diversity and inclusion in science and education.
Read more about Dr. France A. Córdova here
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