Leticia Alvarez is the first graduate of SpedUP, an equity-driven initiative at Normandale Community College to grow the number of BIPOC special education teachers in Minnesota. Her journey reflects both personal resilience and a statewide effort to diversify the classroom.
When Leticia Alvarez crossed the stage at Normandale Community College to receive her diploma, she wasn’t just marking a personal achievement. She became the first graduate of SpedUP, a growing initiative aimed at increasing the number of BIPOC special education teachers in Minnesota.
Alvarez’s journey to that moment was anything but traditional. “I always had this desire to go back and finish,” she said. “I wanted to make myself proud. I wanted to break generational curses.”
That path led her to SpedUP.
Launched three years ago, SpedUP is part of Normandale’s Education Pathways department, which also includes Certify, a program designed to support Black men entering the teaching profession. Together, the programs seek to address two urgent gaps in Minnesota’s education system: the shortage of special education teachers, and the lack of racial representation among educators…