Building the Next Generation of Educators

From Washington, D.C., to Classrooms Across the Central Valley, Stan State’s Aspiring Educators Are Creating Pathways for Future Teachers to Lead

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By Donna Birch Trahan

6 minute read

Faculty

Stan State Aspiring Educators Mentors 2024

When Isabel Aguilar boarded a plane to Washington, D.C., in summer 2024, she carried more than a suitcase. She carried a dream.

A liberal studies major from Atwater, Aguilar had always wanted to teach, inspired by the warmth and positivity of her first-grade classroom. But attending the national Educators Rising Conference showed her just how far that dream could reach.

Aguilar was one of five Aspiring Educators from Stanislaus State who joined 42 attendees, including students from Modesto High School’s Educators Rising chapter, on the trip to the nation’s capital. Funded by a $400,000 WE WILL! grant secured by Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Ana York, the experience gave future teachers the chance to meet peers from across the country, learn from national leaders and see their potential to shape the future of education.

At Stan State, the Aspiring Educators student organization is helping college students gain confidence, community and early professional experience on their path to becoming teachers. Sponsored by the California Teachers Association, the club offers workshops, mentoring opportunities and leadership roles that help students prepare for the classroom long before they enter a credential program.

The group is closely connected to Educators Rising, a national network for middle and high school students sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa International. York helped launch a chapter at Modesto High School to encourage students there to explore careers in education and, eventually, join Aspiring Educators once they reach college.

“I’m the Central Valley coordinator, and my goal is to start more chapters,” York said. “Then we can host a regional conference, hopefully at Stanislaus State. I want Stan State to be the representative, to bring students to our University and create this pathway.”

“The biggest thing I got from the conference was seeing other people who are teaching because they care about the students,” she said. “They want to be there. It reminded me I have that passion to work with students.”
- Angela Huesca

Across the Central Valley, schools continue to face a critical need for qualified teachers — especially those who share the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students they teach. Programs such as Aspiring Educators and Educators Rising help meet that need by sparking interest in teaching early, building confidence and offering mentorship to students who might not otherwise see education as an attainable career.

For Stan State, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, that mission aligns closely with its commitment to access and building community. By giving young people real-world experiences, mentorship and a sense of purpose, programs like Aspiring Educators and Educators Rising are shaping not only future teachers but stronger, more connected communities.

Lessons Beyond the Classroom

For Diana Hernandez, the conference was more than professional development — it was validation. The Merced native, a Stan State alumna who completed her teaching credential in 2023, recently began teaching kindergarten at Eisenhut Elementary School in Modesto after completing her internship there.

“We listened to the 2023 National Education Association Teacher of the Year, Rebecka Peterson, and it was mind-blowing,” Hernandez said. “One day I’d like to be a success like her, such an impressive and powerful woman.”

The experience also reminded her of the difference she hopes to make in her own community.

“I want to be that support system for first-generation, Spanish-speaking communities, especially parents who don’t speak English and don’t know how to support their kids,” Hernandez said. “I feel like I could have accomplished more if I’d had more support, and I want to be that support system for students.”

York’s daughters, Angela and Angelica Huesca, also attended the 2024 conference as Stan State credential students and mentors for Modesto High School participants.

“It was so great to be a part of that, to see the group she started, to see her chapter represent California and to be in Washington, D.C. with all these kids, showing them a pathway, an opportunity that maybe they didn’t think was possible,” said Angelica, who earned both her bachelor’s and single subject credential in business from Stan State.

For her sister Angela, who transitioned from working in a biology lab to pursuing a teaching credential, the conference rekindled her sense of purpose.

“The biggest thing I got from the conference was seeing other people who are teaching because they care about the students,” she said. “They want to be there. It reminded me I have that passion to work with students.”

Creating Opportunity and Connection

The Washington trip was part of a broader regional effort supported through the WE WILL! K-16 Education Collaborative, which funds initiatives across Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties that connect education to local career needs. Through the grant, York continues to expand Educators Rising chapters to additional high schools and to Modesto Junior College (MJC), creating new spaces for mentorship, fellowship and early professional growth.

“Later, I want to start more chapters, like at Modesto Junior College,” York said. “The goal is that if these high school students want to become educators, when they get to community college or come here, there’s a club and they have support, so they don’t feel lost.”

As the first California chapter to attend the national conference, Modesto High’s Educators Rising members have set a new standard and a new tradition. Many now dream of returning to compete, share ideas and represent the Central Valley on a national stage.

Since that first trip to Washington, D.C., the program’s impact has grown exponentially. What began as a small group of future teachers has become a thriving network linking Stan State, MJC and five local high schools — Modesto, Johansen, Downey, Enochs and Waterford. Today, about 56 students are active in Aspiring Educators, while more than 150 students participate in Educators Rising across Modesto City Schools. Several Stan State members now serve on the California Teachers Association–Aspiring Educators State Board, representing the Central Valley at the state level.

“Their shared commitment to education beautifully represents the generational impact and community spirit that this work is cultivating across the Central Valley.”
- Ana York

In June 2025, York led a group of 65 participants — including college and high school students from across the region — to the national Educators Rising Conference in Orlando. The trip was supported through two WE WILL! grants totaling $600,000, which have strengthened collaboration among the University, MJC, Modesto City Schools and the Stanislaus County Office of Education. Two Stan State students, Tiffany Richey and Andrea Guevara, brought home medals from the Educators Rising Moment competition, earning national recognition for their speeches on what inspired them to become educators.

One of the most meaningful moments came from a mother-daughter team: Makayla Richey, president of Educators Rising at Downey High, and her mother, Tiffany, an Aspiring Educator at Stan State now completing her teaching residency in Ceres.

“Their shared commitment to education beautifully represents the generational impact and community spirit that this work is cultivating across the Central Valley,” York said.

The program has also strengthened its mentorship model by pairing Stan State and MJC students with high school members, creating new leadership experiences through events such as the Occupational Olympics, where Aspiring Educators served as judges. The group is already planning for the 2026 Occupational Olympics and the next national conference in Portland, continuing to expand participation and leadership opportunities across the region.

For Aguilar, the experience affirmed what York has long believed: the future of teaching begins with opportunity and with people who care enough to guide the way.

“This conference really inspired me to continue my education and pursue my goal of being an elementary school teacher,” Aguilar said. “I left feeling really inspired and motivated.”

Building the Next Generation of Educators

From Washington, D.C., to Classrooms Across the Central Valley, Stan State’s Aspiring Educators Are Creating Pathways for Future Teachers to Lead

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