Rudy Fuentes
Position: First Grade Teacher
School: Monterey Highlands Elementary School
School District: Alhambra Unified School District
City, State: Monterey Park, California
About the Nominee: Rudy Fuentes was nominated by a student, Jacqueline Li.To his students, Mr. Fuentes is not just an educator, but someone they can trust and relate to. His colleagues admire how amazing he is at connecting with the students and how comfortable they feel around him. He has always maintained a great attitude and upholds a positive outlook on life.Since he started teaching at Monterey Highlands School in 1994, Mr. Fuentes has volunteered and given a great deal of his time to participate in activities that he believed would benefit the kids. He taught fourth grade for the majority of his time at Monterey Highlands, but he also taught sixth grade for two years and is currently serving as a first grade teacher.When he was teaching fourth grade, Mr. Fuentes brought two amazing programs to his school: an annual field trip to the La Purisima Mission and an overnight trip to Sacramento that continued for several years. Even when teaching fourth grade, he often volunteered to chaperone for the 6th grade Science Camp. In addition to the field trips, Mr. Fuentes has also been involved in several academic programs. He was an AVID coach, advisor for Future Business Leaders of America, helped bring college awareness to the entire school through Gear Up California, was an original member of the school’s PTO, was the Mock Trial team teacher/coach and was the teacher/advisor for the Conflict Resolution Program.Mr. Fuentes is a LifeChanger in his community because of his passion for enriching the experiences of his students. He is committed to helping students and teaching them life skills that will carry on to adulthood. Mr. Fuentes is truly a LifeChanger that has impacted the lives of his students.“This is just a good person. He does things just because it’s good for the kids, and it’s going to help them in ways in the future that will make them more dignified people…their ability to express themselves as an adult. They’ll be able to carry themselves well in the future.” – Fellow Educator
[nominee_videos nominee_email="therudebud@gmail.com"]