On a recent Friday morning, Jesse Lima, SOE/MAT ’24, asked a big question of about two dozen small children sitting in front of him at Janney Elementary School in Tenleytown.

“We’re having a conversation about the importance of seeing yourself,” Lima said to his first-grade class. “So, friends, why is representation important, and why is it important to see yourself in important spaces or places?”

In the middle of the classroom, the students sat in a circle on a colorful rug to discuss Parker Looks Up, a children’s book that their teacher had just read to them about a young Black girl’s experience coming face-to-face with a painting of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery. The book culminates with the protagonist, Parker, seeing herself in a public figure who, like her, “had rich brown skin.”

It wasn’t long before one of the students piped up, making a connection from the story to what it means to them that their teacher, Mr. Lima, shares their Mexican American heritage. Students also shared stories of  including others that made them feel good and led to more fun.

“Diversity means including everyone,” Lima said. “In our classroom community, we are all seen.”

Lima—a student in the School of Education’s master’s in teaching program who will graduate this week—is more than just part of AU’s campus community. The DC Public Schools teacher is also working to shape the next generation of learners at Janney in Northwest Washington, nearby AU.

In 2022, the California native, drawn to SOE’s core values, of antiracism, social justice, equity, and diversity and inclusion, moved across the country to enroll at AU. Lima credits AU with giving him the tools to have important conversations with his students.

“It’s such a fantastic program,” the SOE dean's scholar said. “You don’t just learn what you need to become a successful teacher, but also aspects of education that are not necessarily taught in most teaching programs, such as bias, student’s lived experiences, and how their socioeconomic background affects their learning. It’s really placing the student’s whole identity first.”

During his undergraduate studies at California State University, Long Beach, Lima obtained a federal work study position in the dean's office at the College of Education, where his passion for education flourished. There, he also mentored first generation K-12 and community college students and inspired them to pursue careers in education as part of Hermanos Unidos. 

After graduating in 2021, Lima began substitute teaching for the Los Angeles Unified School District. During a teacher shortage, he pitched in at eight different schools, sometimes wrangling as many as three classes—around 120 students—at a time in the cafeteria. An experience that might scare others away from teaching confirmed that the first-generation graduate student was meant to mold young minds.

“I love the transformative impact that you can provide teaching students something new for the first time,” he said. “It sparks something in them, and you can see that moment where they learn something and they’re like, ‘Wow!’ When they believe in themselves, it makes me feel so joyful.”

Last summer, Lima interned at the US Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, where he identified solutions to educational equity issues impacting the most marginalized populations. The experience gave him a new perspective on the work to ensure students receive a quality education. But he knows he belongs in the classroom.

“It’s not about me; it’s always about students,” Lima said. “At the end of the day, I’m here for the students because what matters to me is their growth and potential.”

Lima’s current students reciprocate a fondness for their teacher. They offered that the best things about having him as a teacher are how he helps them with math, that he sometimes plays sports with them at recess, and that he’s young.

“Because you’re just very nice,” one student added.

It’s high praise for an Eagle who couldn’t imagine doing anything else.