DETROIT – Laura L. Chávez-Wazeerud-Din grew up in Southwest Detroit after moving from Mexico with her family when she was very young. Her parents’ divorce left her in foster care for quite some time, without bilingual parents.
“When I started school, I was placed in the special education classes because bilingual classes were only in certain parts of Detroit and not the area I was in,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “When we did reunite with my mother after a few years I was placed in the exceptional students’ courses. I spent kindergarten through third grade in special ed and suddenly I was an advanced student. That is what led me to want to be a teacher.”
But according to Chávez-Wazeerud-Din, her story is not about the “poor little homeless Mexican girl who surprisingly made it,” it’s about the woman inspired by educators and her own childhood to be a fighter for youth just like herself to make it and become anything they want to be.
“Throughout my youth, I had amazing teachers that inspired me and saw me, and it truly motivated me to want to become an educator,” Chávez-Wazeerud-Din said. “I did pursue my degree in education, I became a teacher in Detroit at the age of 20. I just wanted to do what was done for me.”