In HC alum Alex Varela’s classroom, his honors experience inspires his teaching every day. Varela, ’23, credits the HC with giving him the skills and experience to bring holistic, diverse perspectives to his classroom. There, the works of writers like Melvin Dixon, Langston Hughes, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Trevor Noah are taught alongside English class staples like “The Great Gatsby,” “Catcher in the Rye” and “The Crucible.” “[This] allows students of all backgrounds, identities and upbringings to see themselves in their curriculum and engage with thought provoking and challenging concepts they might not otherwise be exposed to,” he says.
Varela fell in love with Oregon State on his first visit to Corvallis, but his path to campus wasn’t straightforward. After he told his grandfather that he had met an OSU representative and the school seemed interesting, the two made the seventeen-hour drive from Fallbrook, CA to check out OSU in person. But after his grandfather’s passing, Varela was forced to drop out of high school to support himself. He continued his studies by enrolling in community college courses, and he earned his GED. Eventually, he was able to transfer to OSU and was persuaded to join the Honors College by his advisor. Despite being initially unsure of his identity as an honors student, Varela says, “I decided to try, assuming I would be rejected, because the prospect of doing academic research was very interesting to me. Lo and behold, I was accepted during spring term of my freshman year at OSU, and there I stayed.”
For Varela, the classes offered by the HC were the most impactful part of his time in the college. “In honors sections, the small class sizes allowed me to feel like I had a genuine relationship with my instructors and a meaningful impact on the class as a whole.” His love of the small class sizes paired well with the distinct passions of Honors College faculty. Classes like his favorite course, History 319H: The History of Human Rights with Dr. Katherine Hubler, “create an environment wherein you are excited to learn about things you likely never considered before,” he says.
In the spring of 2023, Varela earned his Honors Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and education and started a job teaching comparative American literature at Oregon City High School. Now that he is running his own classroom, Varela has incorporated what he valued in his honors experience into his own pedagogy. “I apply the hyperfocus I experienced in many HC classes to the classes I now teach and encourage my students to research, debate, negotiate and explore meaning through literature.” He describes his current position as an excellent fit, allowing him to unify his love of historical literature and passion for education.
Compassion and understanding are paramount in Varela’s approach to education. “The best days – the ones where I watch a reluctant reader suddenly realize that books can be funny and interesting or the ones where a transgender student tells me that my class is the one place they feel safe to be themselves – those days feel transcendent,” he says. Varela makes a deliberate effort to connect with his students on a personal level to help them envision a bright future. “I’ve shared my struggles from dropping out, that I’m the son of Mexican immigrants, and that I grew up doing migrant farm work,” Varela notes. “I am transparent, honest and compassionate with my students in a way that they don’t often see from their other teachers.”
During his time at OSU, Varela was active in the HC and broader OSU communities. He worked as an ambassador for the College of Education, where he connected with fellow students and planned events for future teachers to discuss arising, unique challenges. He was also the community relations representative for SOL: LGBTQ+ Multicultural Support Network, focusing on advocacy and activism for queer and trans folks of color. Varela was a recurring host on the podcast Between Identities: QTBIPOC Talks and led a self-defense seminar in the wake of violence against trans folks. This commitment to community has continued past graduation. Currently, Varela is active in labor movements, joining the picket line to support striking teachers in nearby districts and writing letters to public officials. He also is involved in pro-LGBTQ+ movements, and he remotely campaigns for LGBTQ+ issues nationwide.
Varela and his wife have a daughter, Hana, who was born during winter break of the 2022-2023 school year. Almost a year old now, she is beginning to take her first steps and speak her first words. Varela loves being a father, saying “being able to put my daughter to bed every night, read books with her and take her to libraries and museums means the world to me.” His impassioned approach to work and life is inspired by his desire to make sure his daughter grows up to be proud of herself and her family. “It starts with me and with my decision to take pride in my work and not allow my hardships to dictate my trajectory.”
While Varela loves being a teacher, he plans to eventually return to academia to earn his Ph.D., likely in American racial history or ethnic studies. His specific research interests are largely rooted in public education, and he aims to analyze the impacts of segregation, funding and performance indicators. Outside of academia, Varela is also in the process of authoring a novel. Set in a post-Balkanized America, it is “inspired by post-nuclear fiction and the history of the Iranian revolution.” While he is unsure of the novel’s future, Varela says that “it’s a fun research and writing exercise in between grading papers.”
Varela’s broad and diverse set of experiences have given him unique perspectives that inform his commitment to actively improving society and addressing inequities, particularly those that are perpetuated by the educational system. He encourages the HC and other institutions of learning to expand opportunities for BIPOC and queer students coming from non-traditional backgrounds and to address persistent gaps in access and achievement. “It was not uncommon for me to be the only ethnic minority in an Honors College class,” said Varela. “What frustrates me the most about all of this is that many of the things that the Honors College is beloved for would be hugely beneficial to historically marginalized and systemically disadvantaged students.” In addition to expanding and diversifying the Honors College to include more identities, Varela sees alleviating costs as a crucial step in improving access to the HC, “The Honors College needs a more robust financial aid package for its students. This would go a long way to improve the access, equity and diversity of the Honors College.”
Current students can help realize progress by engaging with difference and new opportunities. He urges them to put themselves out there and “learn as much as you can from as many different kinds of people as you can.” He believes in learning for the sake of learning and implores students to absorb as much knowledge as possible while it surrounds them. “Change is inevitable and beautiful,” he says. “Embrace it as it comes.”
CATEGORIES: Homestories