How long have you been in education?
35 years.
How has a commitment to quality education for all influenced your professional journey?
A commitment to quality, education for all has been the thread connecting every part of my professional journey. From my earliest scholarship to my current work at The University of Texas at Austin, I have sought to expand access to education that is both excellent and equitable. This commitment has guided my research on the structural barriers facing historically marginalized communities, my advocacy against legislation that undermines diversity and inclusion, and my leadership in community-based initiatives like Academia Cuauhtli and Black Brown Dialogues on Policy.
Central to this journey is my longstanding opposition to high-stakes testing, which narrows curriculum, penalizes students of color, and undermines authentic learning. In its place, I champion approaches that affirm cultural identity and support holistic assessment and development. My advocacy for bilingual education is an extension of this vision, rooted in the belief that language is not only a tool of learning but also a vital expression of identity and community. By protecting and advancing bilingual and dual language programs, I work to ensure that students’ linguistic and cultural assets are recognized as strengths rather than deficits.
This vision also shapes my work in extending culturally rich, high-quality curriculum to underserved immigrant and Indigenous youth in the Austin Independent School District. Through initiatives like Academia Cuauhtli (academiacuauhtli.com), now in its 11th year, we create educational spaces where young people see their histories, languages, Indigenous identities, and cultural traditions reflected in schooling. By affirming Mexica, Coahuiltecan, Mayan, and other ancestral roots, students come to recognize themselves as part of a long continuum of knowledge and creativity. These efforts nurture achievement, affirm ancestral wisdom, and foster pride, resilience, and belonging for immigrant, Indigenous, and marginalized youth.
What first sparked your passion for education, and how did that passion grow over time?
My passion for education was first sparked in childhood, when I saw firsthand how schools could both uplift and marginalize. Growing up in a Mexican American family, I quickly noticed that the brilliance, histories, and cultural strengths of bilingual and immigrant students were too often ignored or devalued in classrooms. I remember feeling the tension between the richness of my home and community life and the narrow definitions of achievement I encountered at school. Those early experiences ignited in me a deep desire to ensure that all young people feel seen, valued, and supported in their learning.
That passion grew as I pursued higher education and began to study the structural inequities that shape schooling in the United States. Over time, I came to see education not simply as an individual pathway, but as a collective force for justice and transformation. Through my scholarship, advocacy against high-stakes testing, and leadership in initiatives like Academia Cuauhtli, I have sought to reimagine education as a space that affirms identity, nurtures creativity, and cultivates belonging. My passion today is sustained by the knowledge that when we honor students’ languages, cultures, and histories, we not only transform their futures—we transform society itself.
What advice do you have for the next generation of educators?
To the next generation of educators: remember that teaching is an act of love and courage. Every time you step into a classroom, you carry the power to affirm a child’s worth, to spark their imagination, and to open doors they may not yet see for themselves.
Do not be afraid to challenge systems that limit or silence students. Instead, build classrooms where every language, culture, and story is honored as a gift. However, to succeed in this way, you must also be a parent- and community-engaged teacher—because education is not done in isolation, and the community will always rise to support you when you walk alongside them.
Most of all, never lose hope. Even in difficult times, your presence, your voice, and your commitment can transform lives. Remember: education is not just about shaping the future—it is about creating it, together, with your students and the communities that surround them.
View Angela's CV