García-Meza Foundation Scholarship Announcement

A committed educator, Kim García-Meza has taught in San Francisco schools since 1989 and worked as a public school teacher in the Mission District for over a decade. In 2017, she participated in Dragons Bolivia Educator Program and had a transformative experience engaging with a diverse cohort of educators on topics related to climate change, social justice, and indigenous communities. Throughout the two-week course, she found herself wishing that more public school teachers had an opportunity to participate and contribute to cross-cultural understanding and global issues. Kim and her husband, Peter García-Meza, are honored to support the vital work of public school classroom teachers serving underrepresented communities. The García-Meza Scholarship is managed by the Dragon’s Global Education Fund, a program of Carpe Mundi, a not-for-profit 501c3 organization.

Meet Our 2024 Scholarship Recipient

We are excited to announce that we have awarded the 2024 García-Meza Scholarship to Araceli Leon. Araceli is a Spanish Immersion Kindergarten teacher in San Francisco in the same school district that taught her Spanish.

“Having been a Spanish immersion student, it has provided me with the ability to share and exemplify the benefits of our language program. I take pride in being able to work in San Francisco Unified, the district that helped me get to where I am today. Growing up, my parents had strong ties to the community and raised me to be as active as they are. My dad worked as a youth coordinator at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Growing up immersed in learning about different Latinx arts such as folk art, salsa dancing, capoeira, theater, and many other styles of Latinx arts helped me develop a deeper appreciation for valuing and learning about other cultures. It also helped me embrace my own culture as a Latina woman.”

Araceli will be joining the WTBD Educator seminar this summer in Bolivia, engaging her interests in cross-cultural education and Spanish. Participants not only gain firsthand knowledge but also develop practical skills and perspectives that enrich their teaching practices and empower them to effect positive change in their classrooms and communities.

“This program will have an impact on my entire school community and beyond. I am part of the Teacher Leaders Fellowship, I am responsible for providing different professional developments for staff that are centered around the benefits of culturally relevant pedagogies and their impact on our students. I also work as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco in their School of Education teaching educators in their master’s program. I understand the value of cross-cultural learning and would use my experiences to support others in developing and strengthening their practices.”

Dragons is committed to providing unparalleled experiences for curious students and educators, seeking to engage in truly immersive learning. Do you know an educator that would be interested in joining us this summer? Learn more about our diverse offerings.