We acknowledge and honor our educators who cultivate and shape our academic community. Their stories inform and inspire, illustrating diverse pathways that led to our campus and beyond. In collecting these stories, we seek to learn with and from those who devote so much of themselves to Cabrillo College.
By Rachel Mitchel, Faculty and CCFT Council Representative
I just want to express my gratitude to our colleagues who have so generously taken the time from the multitude of teaching and non-teaching responsibilities they have right now to do these interviews with me. I hope you enjoy learning more about our wonderful colleagues and all of their contributions to our college, community, and beyond… ~Rachel
Martín Rodríguez-Juárez, English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructor
“At its best, teaching is a caring profession” ~ bell hooks, 2013 (Teaching Community: A pedagogy of hope)
I just love synchronicities. For me, they offer a sense of reassurance that you are on the right path. That’s exactly how I felt back in October when I was reading a very timely set of essays from Critical Digital Pedagogy: A Collection that integrated the quote above, and shortly thereafter, met with Martín Rodríguez-Juárez, an adjunct professor of ESL, who truly embodies this quote by bell hooks in his student centered, heart centered, care and support of some of the most vulnerable students in our community.
Martín and I (used to) routinely cross paths at the Watsonville Center and at Gavilan College’s Hollister campus where I had already witnessed his compassion for and dedication to his students in action. Just through brief conversations I would always come away from an interaction with Martín feeling so much admiration and respect for how he literally thought of every detail in his lessons and class to make sure his students had all the materials and support they needed to be successful in their English language learning, including developing his own teaching materials to incorporate more current & relevant subject matter. I remember thinking then, as I do even more so now, how fortunate his students are to have him as their instructor as he guides them not just in second language acquisition but in basic skills for navigating the digital landscape in which their learning experience is now situated, and the larger cultural & communal landscapes with practical advice and lessons in things like transportation options by using apps like Uber or Lyft, or connecting them to service and support resources. Originally from Michoacan, Mexico, Martín draws on his own personal experience and journey in learning English as a second language and through higher education as a first generation college student to connect with his students and support them in their journeys whatever their destination may be.
Martín and I met for coffee at Hidden Fortress in Watsonville on a lovely fall Friday morning. I knew from last semester when Martín would attend the CCFT adjunct committee meetings held by Sara Decelle, that he was very concerned about the impact of the pandemic on his ESL students on so many fronts. His students are very goal oriented and know that learning English will open up more employment opportunities, but using Canvas and not having face to face instruction and interactions has complicated this. Martín, who always radiates positivity, works even harder to keep them motivated and connected so that they stay engaged, keep going, and progress to the next level, using apps like Remind to send text messages (to which students are more likely to respond) to check in with them, to share important events and services at the college or in the community or just being someone they can turn to for support or advice, especially right now when so many ESL students are essential workers and are at some of the highest exposure risk to COVID.
Martín shared that he sometimes has to be reminded to stop working and take a break on at least one day of the week (good advice for us all), and when he does, he likes to hike and get outside as much as possible. Another thing I learned about Martín is that he loves to travel and experience different foods, cultures, and languages, and that he has a goal to visit all of the states in Mexico to explore its regional diversity and richness.
Martín is also writing a memoir about perseverance in which he shares his experiences with facing and learning from all of the “No’s” you may experience in your life until you get that “Yes” that can and will change your life, as was the case for him, making it possible to pursue his dreams and come full circle as a Cabrillo alum and now instructor. Martín exemplifies education, empathy and advocacy in action. Our students and community are so fortunate to have such a model of teaching and caring at their best.
By Rachel Mitchel, Faculty and CCFT Council Representative
David Schwartz
Geology, Oceanography & Environmental Science Instructor & Department Chair
As Santa Cruz county slid back to red and then to purple tier rather rapidly this past week, Dave and I decided to play it safe and meet over Zoom for this interview. I caught Dave before he launched into a full day of teaching over Zoom and boy was my notepad filled—not surprising after a 35 year career at the college!
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dave since 2015 on promoting dual enrollment and high school outreach, but Dave has been doing this work for decades, establishing close partnerships with San Lorenzo Valley and Watsonville High School, helping students explore career and academic pathways. I will miss his reliable participation as part of the High School Back to School night tabling team.
I also got a glimpse of the huge responsibility Dave faces as Department Chair of three programs all with corresponding labs, budgets (actually he manages five), and student assistants as he recently presented at Faculty Senate during the faculty hiring prioritization process. It is such a testament to Dave’s mentorship and passion that so many of his students return to either teach at Cabrillo, like our wonderful colleague, Deirdre Scholar, or go on to work in local non-profits that Dave has forged long standing community engaged learning partnerships with such as Clean Oceans International. His students have contributed to many citizen science projects including surveying trash on area beaches and conducting quantitative analyses from beach clean up efforts. The trio of programs that Dave has developed and overseen for decades, along with the Title V CSUMB Transfer Pathways Partnership, will be vital for equipping our students with the skills needed in career fields that will be in high demand as we continue to face the climate crisis impacting our earth, our oceans, and our eco-systems.
Outside of his passion for his “dream job” (which includes holding classes at some of my favorite places: Pt. Lobos, The Pinnacles, and Yosemite), Dave is passionate about his family and being active outdoors. He’s been missing his family in Cleveland, Ohio and most especially his 96 year old father with whom he visits annually. This year, they’ll be doing a Zoom Thanksgiving, and like many of us, Dave is eager to be able to travel again to be with loved ones and to visit much loved destinations.
As an avid, and one might say expert skier after 55 years, some of these destinations include Aspen and Vail, Colorado but his favorite places closer to home are Squaw and Alpine Meadows. Other ways Dave stays active that don’t require snow (or a gym) are swimming (he’s taken all of the Cabrillo swim classes and ordinarily utilizes the college pool through the Wellness Education Center’s faculty pass), hiking, running (he makes himself do the Wharf to Wharf each year), as well as some cross training and body surfing.
Travel restrictions have also put the brakes on much of Dave’s work related travel including assessing beaches for Clean Oceans International in places like Hawaii, India, Cuba, and Brazil. However, retirement will offer him the opportunity to continue working on a number of important projects currently in development such as a portable machine that converts trash into diesel for use in small island communities to power their fishing vessels. He is also looking forward to working with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, (the geology of which he is very familiar as he did his graduate work there) to find solutions for mitigating erosion from the jetties constructed at Moss Landing harbor and from sea level rise.
A fun fact you might not know about Dave is that he plays electric guitar and loves to jam to ACDC, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the Ramones. “Rock” On Dave! 🙂
Not being on a college campus is going to be a big change for Dave. As he noted in our conversation, he has been “in college” since he was eighteen when he started as a freshman at Ohio State University in 1974. He will be one tough act to follow, but perhaps one of his own will return to lead the department into its future, one that is firmly anchored in the strong foundation Dave has built in his 35 years at Cabrillo.