Teaching 学生 to find their voices

Diego Mateo came to 中北书院 hoping to serve 学生 in communities needing support for their schools. 他的专业是 音乐教育 and found support through the challenges he faced as a first-generation, Latinx student.

Diego made use of valuable resources like the Golden Apple scholarship 和中北部的 教学为先计划, 他的财富, varied academic experience culminated with winning a national championship in forensics and serving as the student speaker at Commencement in 2023. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education at North Central while working as a graduate assistant for the forensics team.

Why did you want to major in education? 
我想要的 to give back to communities like mine in Joliet, Ill., that are home to 学生 who may not have the same resources or opportunities as others. 我想要的 to serve 学生 that looked like me, as I had never had a Latinx teacher in my entire educational career. 我想要的 to be the educator that I would have wanted as a young, growing student. 

What 有 your student teaching experience been like?  
对我来说, being a first-generation college graduate is a dream my younger, pre-undergraduate self would have dropped a jaw at. I always wanted to have a teacher who could relate and engage with me on a deeper level. The dream came true when I had 学生 at Romeoville High School who identified as queer, Latinx, 和第一代. 立博在线体育会 share stories of our daily lives—whether that be the Spanglish we break out in, 食物, 家庭, 文化, 或者是挣扎. 其中一个说，“先生. 马特奥, 因为 你得到 us.” 

如何 有 your time at North Central prepared 你的事业?  
As I build experience in my career as a music educator, I hope to keep on creating safe spaces for my 学生 and the opportunities to take ownership of their learning. Golden Apple and Teach First provided me with networking opportunities and built relationships with like-minded individuals. I would refer any first-generation aspiring educators to these two programs as they will create memories and build relationships with people that will literally last a lifetime.

Learn more about majoring in 音乐教育 at 中北书院.