Lorynn Guerrero, the 2022 New Mexico Teacher of the Year,  is an English Language Arts and GRADS teacher at The New America School, a public charter high school in Las Cruces. Drawn to the school’s mission to empower immigrants, emerging bilinguals, and academically underserved students, she further removed barriers to graduation by establishing a GRADS (Graduation Reality and Dual-role Skills) program for expectant and parenting teens and a child development center for their children on-campus. 

 

In this episode, Lorynn talks about her own journey as a teen parent who pursued education toward having her own classroom, and the importance of expanding the traditional narrative of a K-12 to college experience to be more inclusive of diverse life experiences and needs. She says of her students, “To listen to their stories, it made me realize it doesn’t matter when you get your high school diploma, it just matters that you can get it. And so, that’s made me see that the traditional way of learning is changing.” She also highlights the creative ways in which community partnerships can create opportunities for social, emotional, and physical health of students in our schools.