From the National Public Charter School Alliance:
Think about an impactful experience from your childhood that shaped who you are today. How does it fuel choices and decisions in your everyday life? For one Massachusetts charter school teacher, his childhood experience of immigrating to America and attending school here made him deeply understand that not all kids across the world have the same opportunities in education. Now, he works every day to change that.
Victor Hernandez Barajas is a math specialist at Alma del Mar in New Bedford, MA. He is a DREAMer (immigrant youth who qualifies for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act) who received a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) scholarship for college. Victor came to America hidden underneath a car seat with his mother and siblings and grew up as the child of an undocumented worker.
We sat down with Victor to learn about his story and why he is committed to helping kids just like him. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read the interview here!