Mr. Diego Medina is an English teacher, a former teacher of the year that is a role model to his students.

Mr. Medina said he became a teacher after he suffered a career-ending injury his senior year in football, so he decided to care about grades a bit more and gained some inspiration.

“My senior year I cut my knee in half and all my football scholarships disappeared and I had to rely on my grades. When that happened I had a teacher that was engaged and involved and interesting in me as a person and learning. I kind of figured out kind of how special and how important a teacher can be and needs to be. When I went to college I thought this could be something I’d really enjoy doing until I die,” Mr. Medina said.

He said that teaching is really important for him.

“It was really important for me to become a teacher. Understanding that your education is a way for you to express who you are, it’s not just simple information for you to remember, it’s rather a tool that you can use to express themselves their ideas that defend that they find it important. So when you talk about how important is your education is everything. It’s not just simply we answering multiple choices, as our learning how to write an essay is showing how to express yourself, both mentally and emotionally verbally, against any fight that will take manage of you or anybody that will be on you. Understanding the way the world works. Understanding how you education is a part of who you are on becoming a teacher,” Mr. Medina said.

He is always trying to help in everything he can.

“I try to do as much as I can besides teaching, you know I mean I try to be involved in activities. You know I have to support my students in any way that I possibly can. Right now, I’m a New Tech teacher, and that means we do a lot of activities like we do walks and runs. But most importantly, we try to work to build a solid community so that we can work with each other. Not just academically but also socially,“ Mr. Medina said.

He’s so proud to be at Bowie and be able to do all these things.

“I love the fact that people at work help you and give you crazy ideas for what to do. I work in a place where my voice is heard. I’m really blessed to be with the kids that I’m with and also the teacher,” Mr. Medina said.

A goal is not easy to achieve.

“They were a lot of obstacles to be where I am right now. Like I said before, I’ve been injured. I haven’t had the easiest life but every single time I hit an obstacle, it has helped me to get stronger, more intelligent and more ready to be able to relate to other people, kind of be able to help people with their obstacles. Obstacles for me is more opportunities for me to learn and for me to become stronger,“ Mr.Medina said.

He wants to keep doing this until the last day of his life.

“Hopefully I can do this until I’m old and gray and I enjoy coming into work everyday. I would like to think that i’m leaving a legacy behind and I’d like to think that you know the kids that had me will feel like they know their place in the world and feel like they can express themselves on ways that are meaningful and if nothing else you know I want to be the kind of person that kids look forward to be like them,” Mr. Medina said.

If he was asked to give an advice, he would say the following:

“If I could give an advice to a young relative, I would say enjoy what you do and it’s important to enjoy what you do. Find something that makes you laugh, find something that animates you and makes you alive and learn how to make money with it and finally learn how to express yourself to others,” Mr. Medina said.