“Our country’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths,” Dr. Miguel Cardona, former U.S. Secretary of Education and 1998 Alma Exley Scholar, told an audience of future educators at UConn recently. “It’s what makes this the best country in the world.”
Dr. Cardona returned to his alma mater to offer an inspiring message to students in the Leadership in Diversity organization, which aims to encourage confidence and success in students of color as they pursue careers in education.
Three other Alma Exley Scholars, all UConn grads, attended the event, Dr. Justis Lopez (2015), senior director for teaching and learning at the Hip-Hop Education Center, New York City; Orlando Valentin Jr. (2016), assistant principal at Hanover School in Meriden; and Tamashi Hettiarachchi (2022), a chemistry teacher at Hall High School in West Hartford.
More Than a Job–a Calling
“If you see teaching as an extension of who you are as a person, why you are here in this world, it will be more than a job,” Dr. Cardon said. “It will be a calling.”
Reflecting on beginning his career as a male Puerto Rican teaching fourth-graders in his hometown of Meriden, Conn., he said, “Teaching was more than a job for me. I was able to give back to the community that had given so much to me. I wanted to serve as a counter-example to some of the stereotypes that existed about people like me.
“It was important for students to see a Latino who looked like them, talked like them, ate the same food as them, and listened to the same music as them,” he said. “And it was just as important for me to have students who were different from me to learn from me. For my white students, it was important for them to learn about me and for me to learn about them.
The ABC’s of Teaching
Talking about what he called “the ABC’s of Teaching,” Dr. Cardona began with Agency, which, he said, means using your position to ensure that all students feel seen for who they are. It’s important to let students know they are welcome just for who they are and that they don’t have to change to fit into a mold.
“How fortunate are you that you are entering a profession where you can make students feel seen and loved and that they belong.”
Importance of Being an Ally
Saying that A can also stand for Ally, Dr. Cardona recalled visiting Florida when a “Don’t Say Gay” bill had been introduced. Students and teachers felt they couldn’t share if they were gay.
“I recall speaking with a teacher who had to hide a family photo because she was married to a woman,” he said. That bothered me so much that I started wearing a pride pin in my lapel. I wore it when I went on The View (talk show), and I wore it at Senate hearings.
“It’s easy to be an ally for people who look like you,” he said. “I challenge you to become an ally for someone who is different from you.”
Potential To Build Bridges
“B is for Bridge Building,” he said. “You have tremendous potential to build bridges. Campuses should be places where students learn how to coexist with those who are different and work for common goals.”
Dr. Cardona said C is for Community. “As educators, it is our job to bring community to schools. As a teacher, you have the responsibility to see that your students find value in one another.
“If you don’t see this profession as an opportunity to repair the harm caused by hate, if you don’t see teaching as an opportunity to bring out the best in all your learners, pick another field.”
Best Profession at the Best Time
“You are entering the best profession at the best time. Our country is divided. Many students feel invisible. Many feel isolated and in need of community. Your God-given purpose is to heal our country.”
Dr. Cardona quoted John Lewis, the late civil rights leader and congressman, who said, “If not us, who? If not now, when?”