Jaime Escalante's Students:
Where Are They Now?

Dr. Armando J. Islas

Armando Islas Dr. Armando J. Islas
Dentist/Surgeon, Policeman, CEO
Garfield High School Class of 1976

"He let you experience different things. He told you, 'You can do anything you want to do and nobody can put a ceiling on how high you can go'."

Dr. Islas credits Escalante with providing a "life altering experience" for him and his classmates.

Dr. Islas was the first in his family to go to college. His education includes: Harvard University, UC San Francisco Medical Center, Los Angeles County MLK-Drew Medical Center, Harvard University-Massachusetts General Hospital, and a fellowship at the Ralph K. Davies Medical Center in San Francisco.

Angel Navarro

Angel Navarro
Supervising Attorney, Office of the Federal Public Defender
Garfield High School Class of 1983

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about the lessons we learned in Mr. Escalante's class. We apply those every day in my job as an attorney."

Mr. Navarro was an AP Calculus student of Jaime Escalante's while a senior at Garfield High School and was one of the 33 students to passing the AP Calculus exam that year.

For the past twelve years, Mr. Navarro has worked for the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Pasadena, CA. Currently, he is the Supervising Attorney for this office where his duties include representing defendants in federal court.

Juanita Gutierrez

Juanita Gutierrez
Director of Public Relations, HSBC
Garfield High School Class of 1988

"[Jaime] made sure that students that had gone through the [Escalante] program and had gone on to college came back after their first year in college and told us about their college experience... That one student coming to tell us about her experience changed my life forever."

After participating in Jaime Escalante's math program throughout high school, Ms. Gutierrez went on to receive a masters in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a bachelors in Political Science and a minor in Economics from Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Monica Valdez

Monica Valdez
Program Administrator, BAE Systems
Garfield High School Class of 1995

"[Jaime] was just part of the family and that's the way I still feel. Deep in my soul I really thank him. I thank my brother for all the support, all the help, for all the motivation they've provided."

Though Monica Valdez never had the chance to have Jaime Escalante personally as her high school teacher, she participated in the Escalante Math Program achieving high scores on her AP Calculus tests.

Ms. Valdez has a Bachelors in Industrial Technology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of La Verne.

Thomas I. Valdez

Thomas Valdez Thomas I. Valdez
Research Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Garfield High School Class of 1991

"One of the things Escalante gave me that I still hold dear to my heart now is he gave me the ability to push myself and, yes, I can do whatever I want."

Thomas Valdez was a mathematics student of Jaime Escalante for three years, passing AP AB/BC Calculus exams.

Thomas Valdez conducts research at JPL for the development of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.

Sergio Valdez

Sergio Valdez
Senior Mechanical Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Garfield High School Class of 1991

"In the work we did in the classroom he just basically lowered barriers. He brought on the work and we responded."

As a student in the Escalante Math Program with Mr. Escalante as his teacher, Sergio Valdez went on to receive high scores on both AP Calculus tests.

Mr. Valdez's career at JPL began soon after high school in 1991. He is responsible for the design and development of the imaging instruments for the earth-orbiting Active Mirror Telescope scheduled to launch in 2007.