From Fast Food to the Classroom: David Castillo’s Journey to Education
David Castillo’s path to becoming an educator was anything but traditional. Once labeled a “throw away kid” during his high school years, Castillo’s journey took an unexpected turn after a chance conversation at a Riverside barbershop.
After graduating from the University of California, Riverside in 2013, Castillo found himself working late shifts at fast-food chains. Unsure of his future, a friend’s suggestion to pursue teaching sparked a new direction for him.
“He was like, ‘Yo, bro, you work phenomenally with kids. Like, I’ve seen you work with some of the roughest thugs and you know how to reach them,'” Castillo recalled. Unsure of how to start, he soon learned about Teach for America.
Teach for America, an organization that places college graduates in underserved schools, brought Castillo to Milwaukee’s Casimir Pulaski High School. Since its Milwaukee inception in 2009, the program has introduced 600 teachers into local schools.
Castillo thrived in teaching, drawing on his own life experiences to build connections with students often overlooked. “I felt that my lived experience helped me to know how to connect to young people that we often don’t see as worthy of investment,” he explained.
After two years, Castillo helped establish the Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement at Milwaukee Public Schools. Currently, he is an assistant professor of education at Carthage College and is pursuing a Ph.D.
“So I’m educating, essentially, our future educators,” Castillo stated.
Recently, Castillo shared his story with 120 high school students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee during Teach for America’s teacher pathway conference. The event aimed to inspire students taking dual enrollment courses to consider careers in education.
The event comes amidst concerning statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: nearly one-third of teacher training graduates never teach, and almost half of those who do leave within eight years.
Michael Nguyen, Teach for America’s Milwaukee executive director, emphasized the importance of these events to give students a glimpse into a teacher’s life and continued support for young educators.
Among the students considering teaching are Arely Godinez and Jebrea Williams, both juniors enrolled in UW-Milwaukee’s school of education. Godinez is drawn to middle school education, a pivotal time in her academic journey. Williams, initially interested in elementary education, now shares Godinez’s enthusiasm for middle school, inspired by a memorable teacher who played a significant role in her life.
“Actually, I agree with (Godinez), because I have a middle school teacher I’ll never forget,” Williams shared. “I still check on her to this day and she still checks on me. And she really shaped me into a high school student. I love her. She’s like my second mom, honestly.”
