Rene Quon's Portfolio Homepage

I. Student Bio: Rene Quon

"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people." - Cornell West

My life is the story of privilege and oppression, of finding my place in the world as well as finding a way to serve those who have been historically marginalized. Looking back, each phase of my life invariably led me closer and closer to my life's calling: to fight for true equity in education as a proud social justice leader.

Early Life: Race and Identity in LA (1981-1999)

Race has been an ever-present factor in my life, specifically the feeling of being an outsider and the experience of growing up in communities that have been racially segregated. I was born in South Central Los Angeles, to a Chinese father and Filipina mother. Some of my earliest memories include hearing helicopters overhead nearly every night and seeing my dad pack a gun when he went out. Our family later moved to Central LA where I attended both public and private schools with my older brother and sister. Still in a troubled neighborhood, I have vivid memories of being robbed at knife-point, and having our family's house and car broken into on many occasions. In school, I endured racist sentiments for being half-Chinese, the closest thing resembling privilege where we lived. I became ashamed of getting good grades, but was proud of playing point guard for our school's basketball team.

UCLA and Unicamp: The Seeds of Social Justice (1999-2004)

"UCLA UniCamp establishes a continuum of care ... empowering today's campers to become tomorrow's student volunteers ... and empowering today's student volunteers to become tomorrow's community leaders" -Unicamp Mission Statement

At UCLA, I spent most of my free time volunteering for Unicamp, a non-profit which fundraises to annually take 1,200 children from low-income families to its residential outdoor summer camp. Working with the inner-city youth of LA reminded me of the needs of the community where I grew up and also introduced me to friends who were similarly social justice minded. In 2004, I was selected to be the Head Counselor for Unicamp, where I discovered that I was a natural leader. It was with Unicamp that I found myself and my voice for the first time. I left UCLA a different person: I was driven to fight for social and educational equity, and empowered with the leadership skills to do so.

Oakland and Watts: Teaching and Growing (2006-2015)

After a brief stint working as a Software Engineer, I joined the Oakland Teaching Fellows and was catapulted into an educational system in desperate need of reform. Before my very first class at Oakland High School, I broke up a fight in the hallway with my hands full of papers. Then, at the insistence of my jaded master teacher, I was immediately and prematurely given full control of the class with no support.

In 2006, I began my first year of full-time teaching in Oakland Unified. It was truly a trial-by-fire, and easily the most difficult year of my life. At Castlemont High School I was given an overwhelming 3 preps, including an intervention math class for failing 10th graders. Over the year, I put out fires in the next-door bathroom, had one of my students threatened with a gun during class, and saw our chemistry teacher get assaulted and battered by a student. In the classroom, I was drowning under the crushing workload--at home I began having anxiety attacks. As the year came to a close, I made the difficult decision to continue teaching. I knew that I must work at becoming a better teacher and a stronger individual in order to serve schools with such high needs. In the coming years I vastly improved my instruction and classroom management, I began taking on many leadership roles in the school, and I started to spend a lot of time reading and running.

In 2010, I began teaching at Locke High School for Green Dot Public Schools. Green Dot espoused a heavy emphasis on instructional excellence, which allowed me to grow rapidly as an instructional leader. I took on many additional leadership roles for Locke High School, but none as important as advocating for teacher interests as Union representative. I learned a lot about the political side of education, and am proud to have always advocated for what I truly believed in, especially when it was difficult. In my personal life, I continued to seek out knowledge and new experiences by reading, traveling, running, and meditating. I finally found the place in my heart to truly appreciate the good in all people from my past and present, regardless of their level of need or privilege. I was almost ready to become a transformative school leader.

Principal Leadership Institute (2014-2015)

"We are social justice leaders because we are passionately driven to educate children and adults to challenge their deep-seated beliefs and biases about students of color, and to collectively and fundamentally disrupt the systems that perpetuate inequity." -PLI Cohort 15

In 2014, I joined the 15th cohort of the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) at UCLA. Through readings and discussions with my peers, I was able to develop a macro-view of the state of education and to understand why true equity eludes so many well-meaning people and organizations. I have also clarified my own personal mission as a social justice educator: to disrupt the systems that perpetuate the marginalization and oppression of students of color.

Last but not least, PLI helped me develop a vision for what kind of educational leader I want to be. I want to lead a school that promotes academic excellence as well as the holistic wellness of each child, based on an authentic sense of care and an understanding of Critical Race Theory. I want to work alongside the community to meet their needs in a culturally responsive, democratic manner.

Upon completion of PLI, I will receive my Preliminary Administrative Credential, as well as a second Masters in Education with a specialization in Social Justice and Urban School Leadership. I am seeking school leadership positions for the following school year.

II. School Context: Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy

Alain Leroy Locke High School is a public charter high school located in Watts, CA, and is part of Green Dot Public Schools. Our charter was approved by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and the school currently enrolls grades 9 through 12.

Link to School Website: http://www.greendot.org/page.cfm?p=4078

History & Demographics

Opening its doors in 1967, Alain LeRoy Locke High School sought to provide a safe and secure place for learning in the wake of the Watts civil unrest of 1965. Four decades later, Locke was described as a “failing school” and was known for student brawls, rampant graffiti, students roaming the hallways, and a shockingly low college-ready graduation rate.

In 2008, Green Dot Public Schools joined with teachers, parents and the community to transform Alain LeRoy Locke High School and instill a college-going culture of safety, accountability, and personalized learning. Research has shown that students at the transformed Locke were 1.5 times more likely to graduate and 3.7 times more likely to complete coursework that prepares them for college. Despite these impressive gains, Green Dot has continued to invest in raising student achievement and outcomes.

III. Fieldwork Project Pages

• PLI Leadership Project: Implementing Restorative Practices at Locke HS
• AIDS Walk 2014 (Locke Coordinator)
• Teacher Mentor and Support Provider
• Locke Stipend Committee (Academy C Representative)
• Subject Team Lead (Instructional Leadership Team)
• Site Representative for the Asociación de Maestros Unidos

IV. Special Thanks

I'd like to show gratitude to team members at Locke who have provided me with assistance and support as I navigated the many projects at our school this year. My sincere thanks to Sofia Leal for her support and leadership, especially in the context of Restorative Practices. I also truly appreciate support from Luis Contreras, Christine Mercado, Daryn Woodson, Miguel Sandoval, and Nirorth Chhan for devoting their time, contributing to my projects, and lending an ear when I needed it. I'm truly fortunate to have such amazing colleagues!