Juan Pena

Juan Pena and his family. From left, Pablo Pena, Hiroe Shirai, and Mr. Pena.

With gleaming eyes and a curious mind, a young Juan Pena walked to the front of his sixth-grade classroom. It was filled with chatty kids and the teacher who would change the trajectory of his life. Encouraged by Ms. Altagracia de la Cruz, he had the opportunity to teach the class, and at that moment he realized that teaching was the path for him. This year he celebrates his third year as a Spanish teacher at Carnegie Vanguard.

Born in the Dominican Republic, in a small town called Naguas, Pena spent his childhood days surrounded by his community. His town was flooded with natural beauty. He spent his time swimming in the local rivers, playing at the beach, watching his father grow coconut and rice on their family farm, and engaging in team sports such as basketball. As a kid, he always enjoyed humanities subjects, and his love for this was a basis for his future career.

“I always liked literature, and Hispanic American literature, so now that I am teaching literature it’s even more exciting,” said Pena.
But evidently, his knowledge of the building blocks of literature is what created his affinity for teaching. He believes language holds the truth behind stories we read in our everyday lives. He then connects this to the larger world around him.

“I go into the meaning of words; I like to go and see what is behind each one of the words. What is a connection to my own life, what is a connection to even other subjects?” said Pena.

Before he got a hold of a teaching career, he previously worked within the Catholic Church to provide outreach to disadvantaged communities. He got to travel to regions of the world such as Mexico, Central America, and Europe. He reflects fondly on how students at Carnegie have expressed their interest in similar abroad experiences.

“There is a social service working with children and the poor people there (the Dominican Republic), but at the same time they are immersed in learning the language. There are many programs throughout the Hispanic world that students are taking advantage of, I hope more students will go to that level.” said Pena.

Pena ultimately chose to follow a career path in education, he wished to utilize his passion for language. This passion stems from influences from his educational background. In the Dominican Republic, Pena studied philosophy, Spanish literature, theology, and as well as pedagogy with a concentration in teaching. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas and immigrated to the United States. Despite his extensive knowledge in the subject of teaching, he still experienced the dramatic cultural shift that comes from moving countries.

“My ways of relating to people and speaking to people changed. Learning a new language was a huge change. So I learned American culture, the food, the people, how to speak to each other, that sort of thing.”

He also ran into cultural differences in the field of teaching. With education systems differing from country to country, he found it challenging to apply his knowledge of teaching in The DR to teaching in the U.S. He struggled with roadblocks like language and relearning how to communicate. It can be a huge transition learning how a different culture behaves, especially within different ideas of an ideal teacher or student. He had not been prepared for this in his college education. However, his fellow teachers and colleagues have provided him with continuous support and advice, easing the adjustment process.

“At the beginning this was very very helpful because you’re coming from another culture and are doing things differently—so with the support of a teacher, or even the students with their feedback, you see that you have to make some changes,” he said.

Ultimately his time at Carnegie, according to him, has been a great success. Pena looks back on his first impression of Carnegie, recalling it as a very friendly and family-oriented atmosphere. 3 years later, his initial impression has not altered. Pena’s idea of Carnegie being family-oriented has only gotten stronger as time passes. He describes how Carnegie’s warm environment benefits the students and faculty.

“It is a very inviting atmosphere, inviting the teacher to give their best and the students to perform at the highest level.”

Pena has a son at CVHS: Pablo Pena, who is a current senior. Pena describes how the experience of seeing his son throughout the day is loving and rewarding.

“I’m driving with him to school every day. That’s priceless, that experience is priceless, because it’s a once in a lifetime experience since he’s gonna be graduating at the end of next year.”

When asked what his opinions are on his students, he says:

“ I think it’s that commitment from the majority of the students that they want to give their best. Most of them truly show that they mean business and they want to learn the language and do well in my class. So that’s very encouraging…they’ve all been willing to do the hard work and to go the extra mile.”