Dawn Lomeli, educator

As another school year winds down at Renaissance High School for the Arts, history teacher Dawn Lomeli can celebrate alongside her graduating seniors, having recently earned a master’s degree in education from CSULB. Lomeli’s desire to instruct began early, at the age of 5: Her parents recall her setting up a classroom in her bedroom, teaching her stuffed-animal students what she’d learned that day in kindergarten.

A graduate from Poly High School, the former Jack Rabbit credits her parents, as well as various teachers, for leading her to where she is today. “At Poly High School I had amazing teachers,” she says. “Mr. John Burt and Mr. Joe Sackett strongly influenced my decision to major in history. They instilled my love for history and the social sciences.”

Keeping her students motivated can be a challenge at times, Lomeli admits. “Many of my students face challenges that can cause them to become discouraged with school and higher education,” she says. “I make an effort to encourage them daily to take advantage of the opportunity of earning a diploma and the tremendous sense of accomplishment that awaits them. I also attempt to instill the value of not only higher education but the necessity of learning a trade and/or skill.”

With her new degree, Lomeli hopes to enrich her teaching and design a curriculum that is engaging yet rigorous for all students. “I want my students to expand beyond the memorization of dates and facts,” she says. “I want them to analyze and appreciate the significance of history, government and the global economy, and how they affect the world in which they live.” // SALLY HONEZ

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