First-generation college grads return to their high school alma mater as English teachers

CHICAGO -- Moments after a noontime storm briefly extinguished the power at Rolling Meadows High School, English teacher Junior Sanchez remained calm in his classroom, leading a passionate discussion with students about the inherent dangers of storytelling from a single perspective.

Sharing a personal anecdote from his life, Sanchez, 22, explained to students in his Literature and Composition class how relying on stereotypes promotes false narratives about ethnicity and culture, including misconceptions about the Latino community.

“Sometimes when I see people outside of school, and I’m wearing casual clothes, they think I do yard work, and I tell them, ‘no, I actually teach at a high school, and I graduated from college,’” he said.

A 2017 graduate of Rolling Meadows, Sanchez returned to his alma mater this fall as an English teacher.

Down the hallway, fellow Rolling Meadows class of 2017 grad Chris Recendez