When Roxana Dueñas became a teacher 11 years ago, it became clear that our public schools don't work for everyone. "How do we give a quality to all students and not just students that are in AP and honors classes? Everyone deserves an opportunity for a quality education," she says.
Like thousands of LAUSD teachers, Dueñas has been striking since January 14. She says she wants to transform schooling into something that is "uplifting and empowering for everyone."
Her portrait has become the face of the teachers strike. Dueñas says was contacted by artist Ernesto Yerena Montejano and showed up to his studio dressed in a flannel shirt, wearing hair down and straight. "That's what I would look like in the classroom," she says.
What is it like to see the poster on the picket line? "It's very humbling," she says. "It feels like a huge honor."
Meet the face of the LA teachers strike
Roxana Duenas has become the face of the strike. Photo credit: Andrea Galdamez
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