Daniel Delgado

Cuba High School

Since graduating from Cuba High School, I have been a proud member of the scientific research and teaching communities. Over the course of my career, I have and will continue to collaborate, investigate, plan, and lead scientific investigations. One of my lifelong ambitions is to bridge my real-life scientific research with my high school science classes in the hopes that I can inspire and provide my students with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to pursue careers in STEM if they choose to do so after graduation. Although my research interests have always been related to the fields of improving waste management and bioremediation, I have also been able to research and collaborate on projects that involve quantum dynamics, supercomputing, and media arts. Being a science teacher in a rural school that serves some of the most at-risk students in the country has been one of my greatest challenges and has also been the most rewarding. Teaching in Cuba has provided me the opportunity to be part of a culturally diverse community that pulls together to support one another and has developed unique and creative ways to overcome challenges such as geographical and social isolation and poverty. I feel that our school fosters teachers seeking to improve themselves in all aspects of life and supports the professional needs of teachers. One aspect that I feel is essential to being a successful science teacher in a rural community is to seek out ways to stay connected to the larger scientific community through networking. During COVID, I felt that teaching in a rural school felt much more isolated but also provided a unique opportunity to seek out online resources and partnerships through remote learning. Remote learning taught me, as a teacher at a rural school, an eye-opening reality: even though we are geographically isolated, there are ways to be part of the larger scientific community. I am excited to serve as a Master Teacher Fellow with the Noyce Program because I believe that building a strong, diverse, and accessible STEM ecosystem in the State of New Mexico will help all teachers stay connected. I feel that providing this connection will allow all science teachers to feel that they are part of a beloved community of educators. My hope is that our STEM ecosystem provides all science teachers in our state the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share as they continue to encourage, support, inspire, and lead their students.