UVU program points Latinos toward careers in education

OREM — Jeannette Rodriguez never took a single class from the teacher she says was the most influential of her public school educational experience.

She didn't have to.

The mere fact that the Mountain View High School English teacher was Hispanic was inspiring enough to Rodriguez, 18, who emigrated from Mexico as a second-grader.

"Growing up a minority, you see a Latino teacher and you see a role model," she said. "Seeing her success made me think, 'I can go to college. It can be done."'

Only four of the 20 schools in Provo School District have a Hispanic teacher on staff, however, leaving the majority of the district's approximately 3,700 Hispanic students without a cultural role model in the classroom. That disconnect may be contributing to low achievement among minority students, say administrators for a new Utah Valley University program geared to point Hispanics toward careers in education.

"We need more teachers who can teach in a way that's culturally relevant to the Latino community," said Kyle Reyes, who heads up UVU's Latino Educators of Tomorrow program, which has partnered with the Provo District. "We need more teachers who have that language base and can understand where students are coming from."

The program gives Hispanic students who aspire to teach the opportunity to jump-start their college careers as early as their freshman year of high school. By the time they graduate, participants will have enough general education and prerequisite requirements out of the way to leap straight into their major course work at UVU.

"A lot of these students never thought they could get through a college class," Reyes said. "Having them come on campus and having the professors teach them in a college setting is priceless. They learn for themselves that they can be successful."

Rodriguez was one of the first students to enroll in Latino Educators of Tomorrow, which kicked off its inaugural year in July. Not only did she get to try out a college workload before enrolling as a freshman, but she also built a network of friends with similar backgrounds and goals.

The teenagers, who Rodriguez refers to as her "second family," meet together monthly. Extracurricular activities include volunteering at low-income schools with a high number of minority students.

"We motivate each other," Rodriguez said. "When things get tough, it's really great to know there are people who understand you and believe in you."