2024 JCCS Teacher of the Year — Fernanda Zuzul

Fernanda Zuzul always knew she wanted to be a teacher.

Many of her family members were educators, and she wanted to continue that legacy. As a high school student, she became even more motivated to teach when she saw that some students weren’t getting the same opportunities she had and some teachers didn’t believe in the potential of their students.

“I realized my purpose,” Zuzul said. “I wanted to be able to provide all students a positive and uplifting experience.”

Now, as a teacher at San Pasqual Academy, she’s able to support some of the region’s most vulnerable students with that uplifting experience. She is driven by the understanding that the traditional school system doesn’t work for all students.

Because of that dedication and determination, Zuzul was selected as the 2024 Juvenile Court and Community Schools teacher of the year.

“There are few teachers like her,” one of her students explained in a letter of recommendation. “She includes all cultures in her teachings…. Ms. Fernanda never limits our thoughts or opinions.”

Zuzul started her career as a paraprofessional before becoming a substitute teacher in 2014 and an English teacher at San Pasqual Academy in 2019. The academy is an SDCOE school that serves students who are in foster care.

She said she’s proud to be able to provide students with wraparound services that improve their academic conditions as well as help their families and the communities in which they live. This type of support is central to SDCOE’s North Star goal to reduce the number of children living in poverty.

“My contributions and accomplishments in the classroom are guided by the foundation that my family built for me, based on the love for serving our community, strengthened by my desire to uplift my people, and solidified by the JCCS mission of creating an alternative educational experience for our students,” Zuzul said.