At DSST: Elevate Northeast High School, Raul Castillo Ontiveros teaches more than AP Spanish. He teaches students to see themselves as bilingual scholars. He teaches them that the language they already speak at home, the one they might have been told to leave at the door, is actually their superpower.
Ontiveros arrived at Elevate NE HS in August 2023, and since then, he's been elevating his students to college academy level, polishing and reinforcing language skills that will follow them far beyond high school.
"My work is worth it when I see my students’ 4s or 5s on their AP exam, knowing that these scores will give them credits and help students save money on their college careers," Ontiveros shared. "It is also rewarding to talk to former students who struggled in my class, but after working hard, they have reached their goal of becoming a bilingual journalist or even a Spanish teacher."
But for Ontiveros, it is about more than just the content.
"I try to spread joy through my example, and show the positive benefits of the AP Spanish classes," Raul said. "Second, whenever there is a chance, I make connections with my own life and other former students on how education changed their lives, making a living from doing what they like the most."
In February, Ontiveros is taking that belief on the road. He's bringing 12 students to Chicago for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute's National Conference, a three-day experience that will immerse them in conversations about leadership, community and what it means to claim space in rooms where they might not have thought they belonged.
The USHLI conference isn't just a field trip. It is telling students, “You are leaders. Your voice matters. Your language is an asset, not a deficit.” For students who might be the first in their families to attend college, who might be navigating what it means to be bilingual in spaces that don't always honor that identity, this kind of experience can shift everything.
Raul Castillo Ontiveros is doing the work that matters most in education right now: he's opening doors, building bridges, and showing students that the skills they already have, the languages they speak, the cultures they carry, are exactly what the world needs.