Lourdes Gonzalez • Philippines 
North Carolina Outstanding Cultural Educator
Chemistry, physics and math teacher
Clinton High ▪ Clinton City Schools, North Carolina
Each of Lourdes Gonzales’s classes begins with a Filipino greeting of magandang umaga (good morning) or magandang hapon (good afternoon), and each ends with ingat (take care). Her chemistry, physics and math students are so used to the custom of speaking Tagalog that if Gonzales forgets, her students are sure to remind her.
Although she teaches subjects that could make it challenging for her to share her culture, Gonzales succeeds. Her laboratory activities include materials common in her country, and she makes a point to explain the history and science behind these materials. Her classroom is decorated with information about her homeland for students and visitors to enjoy.
In her two years as a VIF teacher at Clinton High School, Gonzales has become a valuable member of the school community. She tutors at-risk students in science and math during the after-school program, and regularly shares Philippine cuisine with her colleagues and American friends. She is an active member of the Filipino community in Clinton, and has become active in her local church. As a colleague notes, Gonzales never runs out of things to say about her country to anyone willing to listen, always inviting them to come and visit the Philippines one day, promising that she and her family would be perfect hosts!