St. Mary’s Dominican High School Spanish teacher Claudia Vallejo is the 2024 Drs. Emil and Anna Steinberger Excellence in Holocaust Education Award recipient, presented by Holocaust Museum Houston. The award recognizes the honoree’s commitment to Holocaust education and her work with Holocaust Museum Houston. The Steinbergers, who were Holocaust survivors, had distinguished scientific careers and were charter members of the museum. The award was presented virtually during the museum’s Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators.
“We are honored to recognize Claudia Vallejo, a distinguished educator based in New Orleans,” said Ezequiel Castellanos, Museum Educator. “Claudia’s commitment to education extends beyond the classroom. She has worked with the Holocaust Museum Houston for several years, collaborating to provide her students with new educational experiences. In addition to her educational roles, Claudia contributes bilingual articles to Viva Nola Magazine and has worked as a reporter and editor for notable Hispanic community publications. Her career is marked by her commitment to education, cultural exchange, and journalistic integrity.”
Since 2017, Laurie Garcia, Director of Education and Cynthia and Richard Loewenstern Family Endowed Professor in Education, has worked with Vallejo who holds a Master of Arts in government from New Mexico State University and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Universidad Pontificia Bolivarian in Colombia. Garcia said she developed a meaningful partnership with the teacher and the students, sharing, “I am also grateful to consider Claudia a treasured amiga through the relationship we’ve built together. Claudia invited me into her classroom to lead programs for her students around the Holocaust, leadership, and human rights education and I always looked forward to these programs as the highlight of my year. I can attest to Claudia’s passion, dedication, and service to Holocaust education and how she empowers and inspires her students to be leaders in the world today.”
At Dominican, Vallejo instructs Spanish II, III Honors, and Advanced Placement classes, and is Spanish Club moderator. Garcia noted that Vallejo, “leverages her expertise in language education and Hispanic culture, fostering cultural appreciation and language proficiency outside the classroom. Claudia establishes meaningful learning experiences for her students by using her classroom as a bridge that connects academic content to the personal development and growth of her students. She motivates students to examine the importance of Holocaust education and its relevance for today, builds engaging activities and projects that empowers students to look at the world around and take action to improve their school and communities, and uplifts her students by instilling values and skills that support their development as leaders. Claudia is a wonderful advocate and champion of Holocaust education and a model educator dedicated to serving and nurturing the future of tomorrow. Felicidades, Claudia, on this well-deserved honor and recognition. We appreciate all that you do to cultivate positive changes in our world today.”
Vallejo is always thrilled to connect her students with the Holocaust Museum Houston each year, noting, “My students have always had such incredible experiences when working with the Holocaust Museum. They have created art drawings, have questions and reflections after presented relevant issues introduced and explained by Holocaust Museum Houston’s educators. It is important they learn directly from the source and also important to discuss and reflect in class about what they learned. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to engage my students in discussions related to justice, human rights, and important issues that are relevant in our society. These discussions have taken place in Spanish or English, or both. The Holocaust Museum Houston has educated us about Upstanders in American History, and they have constructed lessons for my students so they can learn the power of kindness, empathy, and inclusion. In 2018 they interviewed the Hologram of Mr. Pinchas Gutter, a Holocaust survivor. In 2020, 60 Minutes did a similar interview, with a different hologram of a Holocaust survivor.
Accepting the award, Vallejo’s shared, “Thank you, this award is a great honor. As an educator it is my duty to connect students with people and organizations that are beyond the four walls of my classroom. Thank you, Holocaust Museum Houston, for giving my students insight that they may not otherwise receive. It is important for students to learn about the world, and it is important to me that my students are global citizens, so they understand how best to contribute to making it to a more just world.”
St. Mary’s Dominican High School Spanish teacher Claudia Vallejo connects with the Holocaust Museum Houston via Zoom for presentation of the 2024 Drs. Emil and Anna Steinberger Excellence in Holocaust Education Award.
At Mary’s Dominican High School, students in Spanish teacher Claudia Vallejo’s classes connect via Skype with Holocaust Museum Houston’s educators.
