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At John C. Fremont High School STEAM Magnet in hardscrabble South Central Los Angeles, students face an uphill battle against social and economic hardship, with violence from the neighborhood sometimes filtering onto campus. 

This school year Fremont High has seen security-related lockdowns on a nearly a monthly basis, including an incident at the beginning of the year when .

But Marisol P茅rez, who鈥檚 taught at Fremont for more than a decade, said students at the school can find their way out of the concrete jungle through the STEM fields of science, tech, engineering and math.聽

A retired Coast Guard veteran who served eight years as a technician in active duty before becoming a teacher, Perez knows from her own experience the value of education and the power of following your dreams.  

Now Perez has made it her life鈥檚 mission to outfit her students with the tools to succeed in an increasingly tech-driven world.

鈥淭he United States is struggling to produce enough qualified individuals for STEM jobs, which often results in these roles being outsourced to other countries,鈥� said Perez, 鈥渓eading to a loss of opportunities here at home.鈥�

In recognition of her dedication, P茅rez in November was named the , earning the honor through a nationwide nomination process for excellence in STEM education.

In an interview with 社区黑料, P茅rez discussed the challenges her students face pursuing STEM fields in South Central and how investment in new STEM programs can create a significant impact.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

South Central LA can be a tough place to grow up. How does the environment there impact students鈥� ability to study in school?

Students come to school saying that they can鈥檛 walk home late because these are not the types of areas where it鈥檚 safe to walk around.

The demographics here present unique challenges. Our students, as much as we would like them to focus on their homework, their education, often have different and more immediate concerns. Unfortunately Many come from broken homes, and their worries are far removed from those of the average student outside this community. They鈥檙e thinking about where their next meal will come from, or they鈥檙e rushing home because they have to go to work.

In my opinion, it鈥檚 hard for them to focus on academics in the same way students in other demographics might. The dynamics within the Black and Latino communities here are very similar鈥攖hey face significant hardships they need to overcome. At the same time, they鈥檙e trying to pursue an education and push themselves to meet standards. They often have to work three or four times as hard just to meet those expectations. It鈥檚 incredibly challenging.

What has teaching in South Central for over a decade taught you about public schools in these communities?

I don鈥檛 think we have as many resources as we would like, and that鈥檚 where the struggle usually lies. This is a  Because of that, our budgets are really low鈥攏ot where they need to be. In reality, schools like ours should be receiving the most funding since we lack critical resources. We have a student population of about 1,900, most of whom are at impoverished income levels. This is exactly where additional resources are needed.

However, when funding is distributed, it rarely seems to reach schools like ours. We end up coming up short, with insufficient budgets to maintain resources. Even for programs like this one, I鈥檝e had to spend a lot of my own money to cover the things we need. Running an engineering course is expensive鈥攙ery expensive鈥攁nd I鈥檓 constantly struggling to find additional funding. I鈥檝e been applying for grants to help cover the cost of consumables the students go through daily.

For this program alone, I鈥檝e had to obtain additional certifications to qualify for grants within the state because the school simply doesn鈥檛 have the money to support programs like this. On top of my engineering background, I pursued these certifications so I could apply for state grants and potentially secure the funds to expand the program and open up more engineering opportunities for the students.

Why is STEM so hard for your students to engage with?

I have a background in STEM, and I can tell you right now that as a mechanical engineer working in government, most people don鈥檛 look like me. There are very few Latinas or women in this field. I happen to have both under my belt鈥擨鈥檓 a female Latina鈥攁nd engineering is predominantly male-dominated. 

Bringing STEM programs into communities that are predominantly Black and Latino creates an opportunity to introduce something many people might not have known about. These communities may not realize that there are excellent jobs in STEM that they, too, can pursue. When they see someone like me鈥攁 female Latina from their area鈥攖hey can say, 鈥淪he did it, so why can鈥檛 I?鈥� That鈥檚 the mentality we try to push here, is that we can do it, then there鈥檚 no excuse for you not to do it.

What is the school environment like for students?

When we wrap up our work, we need to ensure that we鈥檙e calling parents and making sure they come to the parking lot so our kids can get home safely. If that鈥檚 not possible, we鈥檒l arrange transportation for them. Something as simple as this might seem unnecessary to someone outside the situation, but for us, it鈥檚 essential. 

 I live just a block away from the school, but even that short distance can feel intimidating because our community can be a little dangerous. However, the school itself is a safe and nurturing environment. It feels like a small oasis for the kids鈥攁 place where they feel secure and comfortable. But when they head home, they instinctively know that as the sun sets, they need to hurry and get there quickly.

What鈥檚 your teaching philosophy?

I always tell my kids, I don鈥檛 ever want a company to hire you just because you鈥檙e a female or because you鈥檙e a brown female. I want them to hire you because you have the skills, because you bring something valuable to the company that they need.

I do my best here not only to teach them the necessary skills but also to help them understand that this is not how they should expect to be hired鈥攁nd it鈥檚 not how they should want to be hired. You should be hired because you are competitive and capable.

What changes do you think LAUSD should make?

LAUSD needs to focus more on STEM programs and allocate additional funding to them. The entire country acknowledges a problem with STEM education, as we鈥檙e falling short compared to other nations. 

We鈥檙e coming up short with STEM. As a result, these jobs end up being shipped to another country.

In the 21st century, with advancements like artificial intelligence, automation, electric vehicles, and even potential hydrogen technologies, it鈥檚 crucial to prioritize STEM education, especially since that鈥檚 where our biggest global competitors are headed.

This article is part of a collaboration between 社区黑料 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

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