Juan Nunez FDFP Highlight

Juan Nunes was raised in Earlimart CA, a small agricultural town near Delano. His parents immigrated from Mexico and secured work as farmworkers. Starting as early as high school, Juan worked in the fields with his parents picking grapes to help support his family and purchase clothes and school materials. Juan dropped out of high school during his senior year because he struggled with school. He later finished the credits required and the requirements necessary to finish his high school diploma.

Juan expressed that going to college was a challenge for him because he was not college and financial aid literate. He was unsure that he would be able to afford college and needed help assessing which courses he needed to meet his academic requirements. Fortunately, he stayed the course and graduated with an AS in Biology from Bakersfield College in 2015.

He continued his studies at California State University, Bakersfield in biology. He was accepted into the Math and Science Teacher Initiative (MSTI). This program was designed to increase STEM teachers in the Central Valley. Through this program, Juan had the opportunity to participate in STEM-based summer camps for school children in Lamont for 3 consecutive summers. Perseverance and aspirations helped Juan graduate from California State University, Bakersfield with a BS in Biology in 2018. Soon after, he enrolled in the Teaching Credential Program, and that same year started teaching 6th-grade science in his own community. This marks Juan's 4th year serving in this role and supporting the large Hispanic community in his school district. He is able to encourage his students to pursue a college degree.

He is passionate about increasing the number of Latinx and other People of Color in STEM fields to increase representation in these fields. Juan believes that education is one of the main pathways out of poverty and to a higher socioeconomic status; as well as a gateway to generational wealth. It is his goal to be an inspiration and a facilitator for the people of his community to seek higher education opportunities.