Commencement Spotlight: Alden Benjamin Lopez-Hernandez Jr.

I was born and raised in Inglewood, California. It's a little city in South Los Angeles -- it's the hood. So, you know, I got a little hood in me...and that's okay, because now I'm a graduate student, so we're more professional. (laughs)

But coming from that background, I didn't really have any support academically in any sort of capacity--academics wasn't really an outlet. It was sports. So football was my outlet...growing up, that's what my goal was, to make it to the league, make it to professional football, and it didn't work out. I didn't know where I wanted to go from there, because again, growing up in South L.A., academics was not something pushed onto you. I'm a first generation Guatemalan American, so my family, being immigrants, they just did the best they could to get me out of high school. Further education was really never on the board for them. They just tried their best to raise me. And I had to be that child that translated for them at home and at school.

So that's the kind of background I come from -- that's the kind of upbringing that I had until I made it to adulthood and had to figure out what I wanted to be or where I wanted to go. I realized that I could do it. I could make it into secondary education...and that's what brought me here.

I think it's crazy like Kobe Bryant---back to back---because I was a student speaker at my undergrad ceremony last year, and it's just absolutely insane to me that here I am again, in the next year. I feel so humbled and honored. I don't feel like I deserve it, I feel blessed---I feel like God is good. I want to be able to express to every one of my fellow graduates that I am someone just like them who struggled and fought and persevered and had a lot to give and just didn't know where to go...and now I'm here. I'm sure all the students who are going to be there at the graduate ceremony can relate to me, and I just want to be their voice.I could not have asked for a better opportunity.

I will be receiving my master's in Education with a bilingual authorization so I can be a bilingual educator. The reason I chose that field of study specifically is that my upbringing really showed that there was no support for me in the neighborhood that I grew up in. I came into the education system knowing just Spanish, and no one was there to help me to further my education. I remember the first person to help me out was my own uncle. He was also an educator. He was my first inspiration -- shout out to Uncle Dan! He was the one who showed me how to translate language into everything that I was doing. Now as an educator in the UCSB program, I realized my importance as an educator is being that outlet for those who need the extra support. My emphasis is specifically on helping bilingual education...helping those kids, who are just like me, find their voice, to find their success in the education system.

My first goal was to make it to the NFL -- that really did bring me to Santa Barbara when I got recruited to play at City College. I thought "okay, cool, I have another chance to play football." It didn't work out -- I broke all three of my fingers and I was like, "what am I going to do?" I was here in Santa Barbara, and as far as I can remember, I always knew about UCSB...but it was just no...not within my reach, because, as far as I knew, this was an academic school. You needed to have good grades and that just wasn't me. I was your typical meathead in high school, you know? A jock. And I would always pass by every time here. I would always pass the UCSB to go to Freebirds or something....and I'm thinking "it would have been nice to come to this nice school."

I've always wanted to come here as long as I've known about the school. Even back home in LA, it was just something out of my reach...but it was never REALLY out of my reach. I needed to persevere and push myself. And I now coming here, I realized WHY I wanted to come here. There's a lot of equity here. There's a lot of diversity here. There's a lot of support for people just like me that come from my background. And that's just what I expected from this type of UC. I wouldn't have chosen anywhere else. I think I'm very happy with my decision being here. It was my dream school...and I'm here. I made it.

I want to emphasize three individuals who have been of inspiration for me here during my time at UCSB.

Number one is Jason Duque, one of the department heads here in the Education Department. I remember when I first went to his class, his presence alone signified what kind of teacher he is. He didn't give me professor vibes--I would call him professor and he would tell me, "don't call me that. I don't like that -- call me Jason." He has that teacher "I want to make sure that you understand...I want to make sure that that we get each other" type of vibe. That was the epitome of what I wanted to be as a teacher. He is my mentor. sI remember one time I was really going through it, and that day I just needed a hug. I hadn't seen him in a while. And I was walking through the hall and we just happened to see each other...and he just opened his arms and we embraced each other. I remember shedding a tear because I was really going through it that day. And that is the epitome of what a teacher is---being there for your student, showing the love even when you don't know what they may be going through, and just expressing that love through education and support. That's what Jason is.

Sarah Jacobs, I call her my "captain." She retired this year as the head of our Multiple Subject Teaching Credential program in the department, but she's still our art teacher. She has so much passion for what she does...so engaging. She loves what she does with every stroke of a pen and with every person that comes into our seminars. She inspired me to be that kind of teacher.

Lastly, is Marcela Alvarez, a PhD student currently in the GGSE. She has always been a support to me. She is a supervisor in our department---she has always made sure to reach out when I feel like I've the support...She always did it at the most appropriate times. And she was such a support getting me through the program, such an inspiration. She doesn't shout it out from the rooftops, but just quietly checked in here at school -- "How's everything going? You know you want to talk about it." That goes a long way for someone like me who goes through a lot in the process of graduate studies.

These three people have been my inspiration...I want to make it very clear that I would not have made it through without their mentorship, for sure.

From the get-go in summer, they really made it super clear that we're here to learn off each other as fellow students. They did a really good job of getting us first and foremost to know each other on a personal level. I remember we had to write this poem about our background...we each got to know a little bit about our background, where we came from, who we are during writing class. Fast forward to our language arts class and history classes that we got over the winter and spring, we got to know each other a little bit better because our teachers purposely mixed us up a lot and constantly made sure that we heard all our voices, not just the same person over and over. The purpose of collaboration in the program is so we can learn how to be better teachers by educating each other -- "How is your student teaching going? What do you think? What's your teaching philosophy? What's your pedagogy?" We can feed off each other. That's the main goal of TEP when it comes to student collaborations ---is making sure we feed off one another and help each other grow. It's not an individual process... It felt very collaborative.

My current research is based on equity and accessible education for all, specifically bilingual and multilingual students. As I said before, I was one of those kids who didn't really have that support in my community growing up. I currently am a bilingual educator at Adelante---I've been there the whole year. As a student teacher, I see the importance of making sure that the child who may not understand because their first language is X or Y can understand...and how I, as a bilingual educator, can help them create the scaffolding through language support. That's specifically my research...I want to further that. I want to make sure I take this into my teaching, not just as a graduate student, but into my philosophy and my pedagogy as a teacher. I want to make sure that I become someone who is equitable, accessible for my students...and not just, "hey, let me just teach this lesson." If you don't get it... if you don't know HOW you're not getting it, how can I help you get it?

I want to be an elementary school teacher. I also would love to be a music teacher at some point--to go back and get my music degree because music is my passion. It's my soul. It's everything to me. And it's right up there with teaching, neck and neck. So I would like to become a music educator at some point.

And then, after twenty-something years of teaching...I want to be an English professor at the university level---that's always been the goal. I want to teach adults at the UC level....I want to take all this experience and be just like Jason or Sarah...to teach at the university level...teach students what I've learned through my whole experience as an educator.

I am also in the current process of writing my own novel. I want to be an author at some point. Writing has always been my forte---I love writing. I love anything that has to do with American literature or literature in general.

These are my goals, and I will see them through.

I have not been the most talented. I haven't had all the nice things that everyone has...but I promise you---and I say this confidently---no one in has been able to outwork me in anything I do. My drive is to know that for me---Alden Benjamin Lopez-Hernandez Jr.---I need to know that I am the best in what I do. It's not to feel superior to anyone---EVERYONE can feel like this. Everyone can make it. Everyone can be a success. For me, why I get up in the morning and what gets me here is I want to be the best I can be with the life that God has given me---and nothing stops me.

Once I have the blinds like the horse, it's "go time" and I won't stop until I reach my own version of success. I could be by myself, or I can have my support--team shout out to my family and my girlfriend---but if even if I am by myself, I still to try and be the best that I can be. That's what gets me up in the morning. That's what drives me to know that I will be the best because no one can outwork me. No one can reach as far as I can reach. And again, this is my own mentality....Everyone can have this drive and everyone can feel the need to be the best...and they can make it.

I am no better than my fellow man or the person next to me or my peers---not at all. I just try to be the best Ben I can be.