2023 Catholic Schools Week

Teacher lives her dream—and shares her faith and mutual roots—with her students

Mia Rojas always strives to celebrate the qualities and gifts of her first-grade students at St. Michael-St. Gabriel Archangels School in Indianapolis. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

When Mia Rojas was in kindergarten, her dream of becoming a teacher was so joyful and consuming that she created a classroom in her family’s basement, complete with real desks, a white board and schoolbooks.

Years later, Rojas had another dream that filled her with hope and joy when she graduated from college in 2021 with degrees in elementary education and special education.

That dream dramatically influenced her decision to choose to become a first-grade teacher at St. Michael-St. Gabriel Archangels School in Indianapolis after she had received job offers from several schools.

“I knew I wanted to teach at St. Michael-St. Gabriel because when I went there for an interview and a tour, I could tell they had a good, strong community. I’m also Mexican-American, and I knew they had a strong Hispanic population. There’s not a lot of Latino teachers in the United States, so it’s important for me to be in a place where students can see someone who looks like them.

“I am fluent in their culture. I really like to make connections with the students and their culture, and they like that. It makes them feel they’re seen and represented.”

Now 24, Rojas knew that feeling of connection with her teachers when she was a student at Holy Name of Jesus School in Beech Grove and at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis.

“I’ve had so many great teachers throughout my life who loved their jobs, their schools and their faith. Being a student in Catholic schools, you feel a sense of a great community. I knew that if I taught in a Catholic school, it would be a close-knit community.

“Being in Catholic schools also helped me grow in my faith. And there were the life lessons you learned. You could learn about reading and writing and math, and the teachers would connect it to our faith and how to live.”

Similar to many educators, Rojas quickly calls to mind the teachers who inspired and influenced her as a child. That group includes her aunt, Gina Fleming, the former superintendent of Catholic schools in the archdiocese. It also includes her first-grade teacher at Holy Name—Ellen Taylor.

“You could just tell how passionate they were about what they were doing and how much they loved us. When Mrs. Taylor heard that I was teaching first grade at St. Michael-St. Gabriel, she sent me a message saying it was really exciting and emotional for her, knowing that one of her students was teaching first grade in a Catholic school.”

Rojas strives to bring that same combination of excitement, passion and caring to her students.

“They’re very sweet. They love school, they love their teachers, and they’re a fun age to be around. They’re excited about learning, and they get excited about every little thing.”

She is equally thrilled about the opportunity to share the Catholic faith with her first-graders and the second-grade students she teaches about the sacraments, helping to prepare them for reconciliation and their first Communion.

“I teach them to use kind words, to think about what Jesus would want them to do, to live by the Golden Rule. Every day while I’m teaching them, I always tell them it’s important to have a relationship with God, and a good way to keep our faith strong is to pray. It’s a good reminder to me as well.

“I try to be positive and happy for them so that rubs off on them in how they act at school and at home.”

The joy just flows from Rojas as she talks about teaching, connecting and sharing the faith with her students.

It’s the joy that comes from living her dream. †