Undergraduate Academic Affairs

June 14, 2016

UW Alums Gonzalo and Danielle Guzman Think Global, Act Local


Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Portrait of Gonzalo and Danielle Guzman

UW alumni Danielle and Gonzalo GuzmanBryan Nakata

When UW alumnus Gonzalo Guzman, ’04, ’06, took American Ethnic Studies as an undergraduate, he realized the absence of Latino history in his schooling. As a Latino growing up in the Yakima Valley of Eastern Washington, this felt like a big oversight.

This realization motivated Gonzalo to take action. He received both a Mary Gates Leadership and Research scholarship, and along with two other classmates, went on a lecture tour. The trio visited schools and community centers in Wapato and Toppenish, Washington, sharing what they had learned about their community’s history. Their audiences responded warmly, and the schools were touched to have alumni return to share their knowledge.

“Before college, working in the education field was not even on my radar,” reflects Gonzalo. “My experience in Eastern Washington cemented my interest in the field, since I was able to see first-hand the potential of public schools in fostering community change and empowerment.”

Today, Gonzalo’s commitment to community remains just as strong. He is currently pursing a Ph.D. in the social and cultural foundations of education. Over the course of his studies, he met his wife Danielle, ’10, ’11, who was earning her master’s degree in teaching at the time. The two shared a passion for making education equally accessible to all students, regardless of race or economic status.

Danielle’s work as an elementary school teacher gave them the opportunity to enact their ideas. When a local elementary school closed, the students were reassigned to Danielle’s school. The closed school offered a Montessori program alongside its contemporary program, which it moved as well. The Montessori program was open to all students. However, enrollment required in-person registration during a specific time window which was tough for several families. This resulted in a segregated school.

The school-within-a-school problem spoke to Danielle and Gonzalo’s interest in making education more equitable. To address the immediate situation, Danielle and the Montessori teacher designed a non-enrollment model, which mixed their classes. Students would spend half of the day in Montessori classes, and the other half in the contemporary program. This blended model worked, and the whole school has since adopted it.

Through this experience Danielle and Gonzalo recognized a larger need for teachers and students to start talking about issues of race and class. They wanted to teach a course at UW to address this.

The Guzmans worked with Christine Stickler, director of the Pipeline Project, to make the class a reality. In addition to mixing working teachers and UW students, the class offered unique benefits — free continuing education for teachers and the opportunity for students to learn alongside working teachers and visit their classrooms. Both parties had a safe space to discuss the issues surrounding equity and education.

Teachers brought their learnings back to the school almost right away. For example, at the school’s Black History Night, the elementary students talked deeply about issues of class and race. The kids studied pictures of marches and responded by sharing their feelings and questions. Through activities like these, the teachers are hoping to develop socially aware students.

The Mary Gates Scholarship Gonzalo received as an undergraduate provided encouragement and financial support for Gonzolo to develop his leadership skills and passion for education. Through his work with Danielle, he’s creating a world of good by educating socially aware children and teachers. Upon receiving his Ph.D., he hopes to become a professor of ethnic studies or education.

The Guzmans will be teaching an updated version of this class, sponsored by Undergraduate Academic Affairs, again next year. It will span two quarters – one quarter at the UW; the other at a local elementary school. The Guzmans are “excited to cross fields and address issues that matter to the community.”