Miguel Naranjo
Principal of Juan Felipe Herrerra Elementary School
We sat down with the principal of the district ’ s newest campus , Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School , which opened in August .
At what point in your life did you know that you wanted to be in education ?
I realized that I wanted to be in education when I was in college working on my general education classes . My sister had just started her career as an elementary school teacher , and she recommended that I apply for a job as a teacher ’ s aide in the Mini-Corps program at Fresno State . Mini-Corps is a program focused on hiring college students interested in becoming teachers and training them to be teaching assistants . Mini-Corps aides work directly with teachers to support migrant students . I was hired and assigned to work at Fairmead Elementary , a small rural school outside of Chowchilla .
It was my work at Fairmead that solidified my intent to become a classroom teacher . I found that I was able to make an impact on the lives of students through my work . My ability to speak Spanish was an asset as I helped students on their classroom assignments and helped the classroom teachers connect with their students ’ families . I also found that many of the students looked up to me because I was an English learner like them . I felt that I was a resource for students and their families ; it was rewarding to know that I contributed in a small way to helping students see that they could also have a future as a professional even if they were still learning English .
24 Q & A WITH MIGUEL NARANJO