Joshua Gonzalez

As a biracial, white-passing male, adopted and nurtured by a Mexican family at the age of three, grasping my identity was something I certainly struggled with growing up. Fortunately, through formal and informal education, I came to better understand not only who I am in this world, but my purpose within it.               

I believe that the diversity of our identities as humans, more importantly our ability to appreciate and accommodate those differences, is what will allow us to foster a just future for the generations to come. While a plethora of problems, stemming from the lack of appreciation for this diversity, exist within this country's educational system, I am hopeful that by demonstrating empathy and humility in our classrooms and communities, they can be resolved.                                   

My experiences and beliefs make up a minuscule fraction of the myriad others that exist. To this day, I am still not sure what this means in the grand scheme of things, but as James Baldwin eloquently deposits, people "ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life..." I intend to do so by creating learning environments where people can comfortably grapple with and develop a deeper understanding of themselves, others, and the world we all share.