Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/477223
20 Spring 2015 | AEA Advocate WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! • WE ARE AEA! Marisol Garcia was presented a certificate of achievement for her contributions to public education by Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton at a City Council meeting this past January. AEA congratulates Marisol, who also serves as an AEA Board Member, Chair of the AEA Ethnic Minority Caucus, Chair of the AEA Legislative Task Force, and Western Region Director for the NEA Hispanic Caucus. Below is text from the speech honoring Garcia: Even as a child, Marisol was conscientious, giving, caring and connected to others – always willing to take the extra effort to accomplish a goal that included others. Her understanding of the importance of family in the development and education of a child is part of her DNA. She was a super student herself and had high expectations for her own academic performance. She easily qualified for admission at the University of California, San Diego where she took on leadership roles in here college and sorority and graduated in four years with a degree in Political Science. She took the initiative to apply for and to be accepted as a White House Intern and worked with First Lady Hilary Clinton to fashion the first universal health care intuitive. She took a key leadership role in planning and executing the 1998 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles and took on a position in California Governor's office where she headed the Governor's southern California office. These academic and political experiences were a tremendous training ground and convinced her to go back to college at San Francisco State University and earn a teaching credential in upper grades Social Studies. She is deeply committed to passing on the knowledge, passion, and participation structures for informed citizenship. She has always been and has become even further committed to issue of equity and respect for all with a special place in her heart and work for our youth, particularly those who have not been served well by society and the educational establishment. You might conclude after observing her that she is their advocate. In the pursuit of this effort, she remains committed to engaging family, particularly those of her students, and consistently makes no excuses for all students to attain high education goals and attainment, even in the face of substantive obstacles for the students and families she serves. This no excuse mentality is matched by a commitment to provide the necessary opportunity structures for students to actively engage in their own education, set high expectations for their performance, and achieve at the highest level. She has also become a trusted tutor, counselor and vigorous advocate for students and their families, one that takes the extra time and effort to ensure that both the present status and the future are addressed. Many of her students have gone on to be successful in the highly competitive academic pursuits. She does not give up on her students and families. She has also taken on leadership roles related to her educational colleagues, serving as president of her local NEA affiliate and taking on leadership roles at the state and national levels. She is highly respected by those colleagues and has testified in legislative hearings and is called upon frequently to speak as a teacher leader. She serves as a broader example of an articulate professional educator with a "Corazon," a deep and passionate advocate for equal educational opportunity. We all want to duplicate her and all she stands for while at the same time realizing that she is one of a kind. n Isaac District EA President Honored by Phoenix Mayor