David Huerta, MEd
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David Huerta is an adjunct instructor and current doctoral student at the University of La Verne’s LaFetra College of Education. He was a high school biology teacher at Grand Terrace High School for 5 years, where he was awarded “Teacher of the Year” for 3 consecutive years. David has a passion for education and helping young people find their potential for growth. He has a special interest in cultivating the emotional well-being of young people and children, with a firm belief that improved mental health means a healthier person, and ultimately means a healthier community.
While teaching at the high school level, he fell ill with a chronic condition affecting his spine and nervous system, which took him out of the classroom environment. Having lived through a disabling chronic illness, he has found that mental and emotional well-being have played a significant role in his recovery process. While reflecting on his career, he realized that the current education model could do so much more to foster the life skills that students need to live healthy lives outside of their academic work. He decided to pursue his Doctorate of Education in order to make a larger impact and to help design and implement curriculum on emotional education, with hopes that young people can learn the skills to be successful in all aspects of their lives. As an adjunct instructor, he is able to share this perspective with future teachers, so they may have a positive impact on their future students as well. He firmly believes that emotional well-being should be at the forefront of a 21st century education. As our world becomes more globalized, essential skills such as communication, collaboration, self-regulation, and relationship-management become increasingly important to the health and prosperity of our society. David is looking forward to being part of the Community Wellness Initiative in order to help improve the quality of life of our students and our community. |
