Meet a Flinn Scholar: Chris Tijerina

For Chris Tijerina, community is about developing the human potential of others. It is about finding where there are needs and then vigorously, persistently, and passionately pursuing a vision of how best to address them.

In short, Chris Tijerina is a doer.

When Chris was attending Casa Grande High School, he found himself surrounded by students coping with the challenges of overcoming cultural and language barriers and did something about it. Together with his father, he founded the G.O.L.D. Scholars Program, an organization that helps the Latino high school students of today become the Latino leaders of tomorrow.

Helen Keller wrote that the "highest result of education is tolerance." As a future educator in a post-September 11th America, what special significance does this statement hold for you?

The United States is arguably the most powerful nation, and as such, has an obligation to utilize that power for the prosperity of the world. Helen Keller reminds us that in order to fulfill that obligation in the wake of a zealous War on Terror we must teach ourselves and our youth to research the dimensional complexity of the issues. Otherwise, our nation's capacity to implement sustainable resolutions with peoples both within and outside of our borders will be blighted by what has historically been a self-righteous and arrogant approach to problem solving.

 
You once stated that "heroes are all around us, if we will recognize their efforts." Do you think our society overuses the word "hero"?

I don't believe our society overuses the word "hero" as much as it is guilty of glorifying disproportionately Hollywood figures, professional athletes, etc., over Genome Project researchers, public servants, and the nearly infinitely long list of overlooked contributions to the functionality of our world. Of course I'm biased--I'm going into teaching.

 
Gifted students sometimes obsess about their GPA and class standing, yet you have put these very things at risk by taking a difficult class that was not required by your major. What would you say to those students?

That was rather unintentional. Who knew that taking physics for fun would redefine my study habits forever? My own na vet aside, having "gifts" without putting them to use is akin to having air and choosing to suffocate oneself. It is true that a GPA to some extent provides opportunities, but it is no substitute for leadership, interpersonal communication, and problem-solving skills that we develop by making positive choices that may put that GPA at risk (e.g. my schedule this semester, yikes!).

 
Tell us a bit about the G.O.L.D. Scholars Program. What were some of the factors that inspired you and your father to found this organization?

The G.O.L.D. Scholars Program (Goal Orientation and Leadership Development) is a non-profit corporation that provides educational and leadership development services to predominately Latino high school students in Casa Grande. Its primary function is to address institutional and social capital barriers that exist for potential high-achieving Latino students through one-on-one mentoring, advising, advocacy, goal orientation, and leadership development activities, standardized test preparation, and intensive essay writing on current events.

Our greatest inspiration was my tata, Manuel Tijerina, who toiled as an impoverished farm worker but strongly encouraged my aunt and uncles to pursue their education. Three of his children now have advanced degrees, including my father, whose diligence and effort provided me with a life that bears no resemblance to the conditions my nana and tata suffered. Unfortunately, our family's experience of social mobility is not the case for many others, and it was our desire to help families like ours to cross the bridge to higher education.

 
Given your history of establishing such organizations, what particular aspirations do you hold as a future educator? What is your philosophy on education?

My foremost goal is to be involved in the modification of public policy to improve Arizona's education system. Services like the G.O.L.D. Scholars Program are necessary to help students presently in public education move towards success. But pragmatically, resolving underlying issues surrounding poor student achievement and school completion will require systemic changes at all levels--something no outside programming can do financially on a statewide level. And that's where I want to be, at the heart of it, helping to draft the proposals that will bring vitality to our system in Arizona.

 
Much of your work centers upon a sense of identity, of heritage, of community, and of place. How have you been shaped by your own community and heritage?

There was a point, perhaps out of frustration, when I asked myself why I was born in Casa Grande. After much contemplation, I concluded that the resources I have by being who I am, born to this family and in this place, are unique. As such, my opportunities to make change and to experience life are unique and demand to be cherished and utilized to their maximum potential. And so my quest is as simple as that--be the best of who I am, with what I have. I want to live my story like a Victor Villase or book, with a climax on every page.