Melissa Lopez

As a first-generation Latina growing up in Idaho, I experienced inequity and felt unseen in a predominantly white community. Like Ruby Bridges, I remember feeling isolated and misunderstood. I grew up believing others defined our worth. I became a teacher to change that narrative to ensure my students feel seen, valued, and empowered to challenge stereotypes and become leaders in their own right.

In my third year teaching in a predominantly white suburban Chicago school, I was leading a lesson when I noticed a white student studying me. I wore my hair in a side braid, and she let hers down to braid it the same way. Growing up seeing only blonde white as the standard of beauty, I never saw women who looked like me reflected back. In that moment, a child wanted to look like me, a Latina woman. It was memorable, it showed me my students see themselves in me, and that representation matters.

What wouldn’t I do with $25,000? I’d celebrate the team that makes my work possible, perhaps taking my fellow teachers on a well-deserved vacation. I’d invest in an indoor playground business to spend more time with my son, support my church’s needed improvements, and put a down payment on a home with a backyard for him. I would probably also invest into getting my Master’s. I’d meet Bill Nye!