By Kelsey Kendall
Jorge Valenzuela walked across the stage at 鶹 last week to receive his doctorate in educational leadership. Years before that milestone moment, Valenzuela stepped into a New York kindergarten class as a substitute for the first time and felt more than a little intimidated at the prospect of trying to teach the kids what they needed to learn.
“But as soon as I got up in front of my students, I realized I was born to be a teacher,” Valenzuela, Ph.D., said.
Originally from New York, Dr. Valenzuela earned his bachelor’s degree in management information systems in 2001 from the State University of New York at Old Westbury. He started working in information technology after graduating but found he “wasn’t really able to make human connections,” he said. Eventually, he decided to try substitute teaching, and it was like the pieces fell into place, though he never could have guessed where this new path would take him.
He took the leap and moved down to Richmond where he started teaching middle school technology and engineering. As he progressed in his own educational trajectory, he was promoted to instructional specialist and oversaw all the technology education classes.
Dr. Valenzuela is not one to just pass along curriculum materials and resources without fully understanding the tools himself. He sought out different professional development opportunities, finding resources with groups like the Buck Institute for Education and its project-based learning methods, through which he was able to join a national cohort working with teachers from all subject areas.
Wanting to be a better leader in the educational field led Dr. Valenzuela to seek out doctoral programs and ultimately decide on the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies. After a conversation with Phil Reed, Ph.D., a professor in Darden College, Valenzuela realized that 鶹’s program matched with his career goals.
In 2017, he joined the doctoral program and 鶹’s faculty as an adjunct professor. When public schools closed their doors at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, though, Dr. Valenzuela knew his job was to support teachers and administrators as they scrambled to shift toward virtual learning.
He took time off from his studies to answer the call for educational professionals to step up in unprecedented times for the education field. For the next couple of years, Dr. Valenzuela wrote articles and partnered with a school district to help with professional development, assisting leadership as the instructors learned to navigate online instruction. At the time, he also served on the Virginia STEM Education Commission for the 2019-20 school year.
It took a few years for Dr. Valenzuela to decide he was ready to return to 鶹 to finish his Ph.D., this time with even more practical experience, accolades and under his belt. His efforts during those years helped build his reputation, and he has been asked to do more speaking engagements, including one for the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference this summer.
Dr. Valenzuela said he could not have gotten to where his is today and accomplish the things that he has if he hadn’t come to 鶹. He wanted to find a program that supported his goals of diving deeper into researching pedagogy, the art and science of teaching and learning, and using that information to help inform decision makers in education, from the school to the state levels. Through his consulting company, Lifelong Learning Defined and his professional development partner, Corwin, he continues to do outreach and workshops to support teacher development and student learning.
Among the many things he is excited about moving forward as a consult and education leader, he is particularly proud to be among the few Hispanic men who have earned their doctorate. , fewer Hispanic men receive their Ph.Ds. than Hispanic women, and Valenzuela says he hopes that seeing someone with a last name like his and a background they might recognize will inspire others to pursue their educational goals.
“That is something that has always been at the back of my mind,” he said. “So, if I’m proud of anything, it’s that.”