During the pandemic, Agnes Samalot was asked to teach students traditional Spanish dance, so she cleared a space in her apartment and conducted a dance workshop via Zoom…only Samalot is the Seventh Grade Science teacher.
“My mother tried to expose me to different areas: art, music, nature,” says Samalot, who was raised by her single mother in Puerto Rico. “I think she was very open-minded and that has helped me a lot in my life.” Samalot followed her mother into a career in education, drawn to Science by her upbringing by the beach and love of the living environment. Samalot earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees and taught in Puerto Rico for 15 years before moving with her family to New York.
Samalot has also been dancing since age six and is a member of the dance company Danza Fiesta, which has performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and on many other prominent occasions. Her American Dream students saw the company perform annually until the pandemic, when she brought her art to them via Zoom.
“I love the American Dream School community. I feel like I finally have a family besides my blood one,” says Samalot. “The school is like an open book and everyone helps each other. It’s like your second home.” Samalot drives to and from her home on Staten Island each day: the ride home takes two-and-a-half hours. She notes a former student now works for NASA and told Samalot she inspired his career path. Samalot hopes to produce more NASA employees at American Dream.
“There are many Latino students’ whose lives are very stressful and people often see through them. It’s difficult for those people to see their potential. I want everyone to recognize these students’ potential,” she says. “I’m proud of my students and know they have the tools to be better people as students and citizens because they are here.”
