Mario A Mutis R

Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

My father was a teacher in Colombia, but I first saw him lecture years later in the U.S., at a community library. Seeing him in that role was eye-opening—I knew him as a father but not as a teacher. That moment planted the seed of pedagogy in me. I became a teacher to honor those who shaped me and to keep their memory alive. Beyond the excitement of working with my students everyday, I teach because passing down knowledge is inherently a human experience.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Outside of teaching at a community college, I give lectures and demonstrations in Colombia. In June 2022, I taught a centuries-lost metal casting process at the Muysca Reservation of Sesquilé. It was a profound joy and pride to revive this practice in our territory after 400 years. That moment will always live with me, when teaching helped heal our community.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Two things come to mind. Currently I'm working on a art project in partnership with the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College. I would like to use some of this award to help the production of the project. An animated short film using pottery to tell the Muysca story of origin, a story that is interwoven with the cosmos. The other part I'd like to donate it to help establish an arts center in Sesquile Colombia.