Meet Our Students

Teacher Education students are deeply engaged in their communities and committed to social justice with their students and communities. Learn about a few of our current and recent students below for a better understanding of who they are and how they are becoming transformative educators.

Recent graduate Julia Duggs co-presented "Freedom Dreaming: Ethnic Studies Teaching in the Secondary Grades" with Teacher Education faculty Dr. Luis Poza, Associate Dean Dr. Marcos Pizarro, and Social Studies Teacher Dr. Victoria Durán as part of the SJSU Lurie College K-12 Teaching Academy.

Neng Xiong

“I’ve learned about the importance of a good support system from friends, family, colleagues and faculty. As attending college during a pandemic can feel emotionally and academically defeating and isolating, having people you can turn to for support during these difficult times can make the experience easier.”

Two-time Lurie College alumni Neng Xiong was featured by SJSU as an extraordinary graduate. Read the feature on the SJSU Newsroom blog.

Alberto Camacho

Alberto Camacho, ’20 English, ’21 Teaching Credential, can remember the names of all of the influential teachers in his life — from his preschool teacher, “Mr. E,” to his Chicana and Chicano Studies professor Marcos Pizzaro, associate dean of the Connie L. Lurie College of Education.

He recalls Mr. E teaching him “e for effort” almost as clearly as he remembers Pizarro honoring him at the spring 2019 Celebration of Teaching event, where Camacho was recognized for his teaching potential and awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

“My teachers had an impact; they genuinely wanted the best for their kids, and that’s what I want to do in the classroom,” said Camacho, who is completing his student teaching at Silver Creek High School in San José this spring.

“I want the best for my kids, their families and their communities. It is thanks to my teachers that I feel this way — they planted the seed.”

Read the full story by Julia Halprin Jackson on the SJSU Newsroom blog.

Single Subject Credential Program student Ana Hahs is a co-host of the student-led dialgoue series Emancipatory Education Now. Watch the recent dialogue that Ana led with students from across the SJSU Lurie College of Education around antiracist education.

MA and Multiple Subject Credential Program alumni Alejandra Valencia and Jocelyn Rodriguez have created their own podcast, The Book Boat, in which they discuss books that touch upon topics such as diversity, inclusion, and social justice, and how to incorporate those books into their teaching practices. Watch all of the episodes on the Lurie College blog.

We recently launched an Ethnic Studies Teacher Residency program to collaborate with local school districts and create an opportunity for our teacher candidates to gain valuable professional experience and ongoing professional development as they prepare to become Ethnic Studies teachers. Learn about our 2020-2021 cohort of Ethnic Studies Teacher Residency students – Julia Duggs, Jenna Kunz, and Angelica Lopez – as they share their experiences in the residency program and how it has shaped them going forward.

Our SJSU Lurie College of Education Critical Bilingual Authorization Pathway (CBAP), Bilingüismo y Justicia, prepares teachers to obtain an authorization to serve in dual immersion or bilingual school settings in California. The pathway specializes candidates in pedagogy, practices, and ability to identify linguistic assets and potential for students and empowers candidates to be changemakers in their own context. Watch this conversation to learn more about our CBAP / ByJ program from current student Fanny Camacho, who recently received a California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) grant.

Erin Enguero

MA and Multiple Subject Credential Program student Erin Enguero was interviewed by EdSource to discuss her experiences with our Lurie College K-12 Teaching Academy.

Critical Bilingual Authorization Pathway (CBAP) students Adriana Priego, Heather Simonovich, Jazmin Mendez, Olivier Castañeda, Raul Leon, Rubby Barajas, and Stephanie Muñoz received grants to pursue various professional development initiatives. Read the full transcript of our interview with them on the Lurie College blog.

Multiple Subject Credential Program student Cristian Ponce was the recipient of the Emily Devore and Mabel Crumby Endowment for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Single Subject Credential Program student Ander Lucia was the recipient of Lurie College of Education General Scholarship for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Danielle Patenaude

Graduate student Danielle Patenaude's article “Classroom Translanguaging: Building Identity and Agency” was published in the California Association for Bilingual Education’s (CABE) Multilingual Educator. Give the article a read at bit.ly/2RU2npY.

Single Subject Credential Program student Laura Amador was the recipient of the Marion Cilker Scholarship for Infusing Art into Teaching Endowment for the 2019-2020 academic year.

MA, Multiple Subject Credential Program, and Critical Bilingual Authorization Program student Adriana Priego was the recipient of the Ada Louise Watters Scholarship award for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Single Subject Credential Program student Ally Landreth was the recipient of the Elementary and Secondary Education Scholarship Endowment award and the Charlotte B. Stelling Endowment Fund award for the 2019-2020 academic year.