USF Alumni Educators Empower Young Minds

In the classroom, students absorb knowledge and instruction from their teachers, but it’s often a two-way street. Memorable and inspirational learning moments from students enrich and inform the lives of teachers, too. It is a symbiotic relationship of sharing knowledge and wisdom of the human spirit.

Alumni educators Willie Ablao MA ’05, Christian Flores MA ’15, Araceli Leon MA ’18, and Christian Vasquez MA ’21 share their journeys and what they learned along the way as students from USF School of Education who became real-world teachers.

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Christian Vasquez MA ’21
Being an educator is more than a career for Christian Vasquez. It’s about molding students into compassionate young adults who treat others with kindness and respect no matter their background. Vasquez believes that students will remember how you treat them and how you teach them to treat others. Utilizing knowledge he gained at USF in his teaching, Vasquez incorporates core values into his classroom, leading with grace for both his students and himself.

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Willie Ablao MA ’05
For Willie Ablao, witnessing the "Aha!" moments, when students grasp academic concepts, fuels his passion for teaching. He also finds the challenge of helping students maintain friendships and resolve conflict rewarding. “USF's commitment to multicultural education provided me with tools to navigate teaching in a multicultural city like San Francisco,” said Ablao. Even after 20 years of teaching, the new students each year inspire Ablao with their hope, curiosity, and playfulness.

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Araceli Leon MA ’18
Araceli Leon's journey from teacher to student, to becoming a professor at the University of San Francisco has been transformative. Leon took part in the dual degree program in the Undergraduate Teacher Education Center (UTEC) which allowed her to balance school while working as an elementary school teacher. During her time in the program, Leon was able to create connections with the instructors at USF, which later provided her with the opportunity to teach in the School of Education.

As an educator, Leon has found inspiration in creating a collaborative learning environment, whether through guiding kindergarteners toward literacy or being a professor who mentors future educators. “My students know we learn best together and I’m here to support them however possible. I am their forever cheerleader,” Leon said. Through her students, Leon has learned the importance of meeting individual needs and continuously building her practice to better serve her diverse classroom community.

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Christian Flores MA ’15
Each year, as new students enter Christian Flores’s classroom, his inspiration evolves, because of the opportunity to empower young minds and create tangible tools to uplift them as members of our community. Utilizing a detailed lesson planning method that he learned at USF, his meticulous approach became second nature, making work easier when he kick-started his teaching career. Flores cherishes the humor and heritage he shares with his students and recognizes the importance of building a strong classroom community. “At the end of the day… we get to have some laughs and make jokes about the silliness that comes up in our days,” Flores said. “And literacy has been one way to explore that in Spanish and English.”

Feeling inspired by our alumni educators? Learn more about how you can support the USF School of Education.