A Lifetime of Service: Interview with CLR/LALS External Advisor Leonard Domínguez

Leonard Domínguez earned a BA in Economics from DePaul in 1967. Before focusing on community organizing and leadership, he started his career as an educator for Chicago Public Schools. His mission has been to serve the children and families in various communities around Chicago as a teacher at three different elementary schools, a principal of two elementary schools and a high school, the Chief of Policy for the Chicago Public Schools, and the Deputy Mayor of Education for the City of Chicago, appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley. Leonard has now dedicated his life to service through the Little Village Rotary Club of Chicago, promoting the health and welfare of children and families locally and around the world.

Interview Conducted by Josué Paniagua

When I talk to people, I want to hear their origin story because to me that's a big part of who you are. Knowing where you come from, your family and your background sets the stage for everything later. For me, it's all about my parents. I owe them everything. My dad was from Michoacán, Mexico. My mother was born in Mexico City. As a young boy, my dad, along with his sister and brother lost their parents during the Mexican Revolution. They went to Texas to live with cousins. My mom ’ s parents, my grandparents, left Mexico seeking a better, safer life for their family

So at a young age, both my mom and dad came to the United States where they found each other and got married in Chicago. My dad left Texas looking for work and eventually got a job in the steel mills. At the time, my parents were living through the Great Depression. Then, during WWII, my dad volunteered to become a medic in the Army and served all over Europe. He earned a Bronze Star for bravery during the Battle of the Bulge and a Purple Heart for being wounded a few days later. My mom was a brilliant student and the Valedictorian of her high school. She went on to business college, got a job as an Executive

Secretary at Sears, and was sent to Philadelphia to be in charge of all South American accounts. Despite my dad only finishing fifth grade, he was a successful businessman who bought some real estate, and this is the reason that I, my brother, and two sisters were able to go to college. My parents also stressed the importance of being proud of our Mexican culture and traditions.

What was your experience like as a Latino student at DePaul?

My first experience at DePaul was being interviewed by Father Richardson He was really nice and later became President of DePaul I was transferring from the City Colleges after having attended the University of Illinois. He was Dean of Students at that time and after reviewing my test scores said that I was admitted to DePaul. I found that my classes and Professors were really great, and I enjoyed all of them. I especially appreciated the economics and philosophy courses and professors. They made me think and write with thought and precision. The English courses were also interesting with lots of reading and discussions about great literature.

Having studied English, Economics, and Philosophy at DePaul, what led you to eventually pursuing your master’s in Education Administration?

In high school, I had an English teacher who was the best. He was a real philosopher himself. We read great literature and went on field trips to see films about Shakespeare. He also pushed us to read one book a week and write an analysis of those books He was a real mentor to me as I developed my own sense of what it means to be educated I also loved English, literature, and philosophy For me, they fit perfectly together for a well-rounded education During that time, the Vietnam War was going on. As a young man, you were susceptible to being drafted for what I knew was a useless, terrible, immoral, unethical war. I decided to become a teacher because I had been very fortunate to get a great education and would be able to share that with young children. I thought it was an honorable thing to do. Luckily, my father agreed and was proud that his son was a teacher.

I started teaching 5th grade, which is a great age because at that age, children are excited about everything; and just hungry for knowledge I would take them on trips, trying to show them more about the city since they rarely left their neighborhood because it was unsafe for them to do that Fast forward and bilingual education was starting and I wanted to serve the Latino community in this way. I taught bilingual students for about 10 years and then returned to school for a master’s in education administration. A Master’s degree in Education Administration prepared me to become a Principal. I subsequently passed a difficult Principal’s exam which only 168 people passed out of 1,800 who took the test. Of the 168, only 11 were Latino.

Leonard Domínguez

Throughout the multiple leadership roles you have taken on, the importance of education and the arts are always at the forefront. Could you tell me more about what connects the two as well as what they mean to you?

I have had an appreciation for the arts since high school, where I played trumpet in the school band and was elected Band President in my senior year. During my teaching career, I started an arts magazine that featured poetry, short stories, articles on music, art, books, theater, and other forms of artistic expression. I also started teaching students in the different grades I taught how to write original plays which we sometimes performed at school assemblies. In my first year of teaching kindergarten, I closely followed the curriculum Everything in the book that I was supposed to teach, I taught But I realized something was missing What was missing in the curriculum was the arts. So, we started providing experiences in art, music, dancing, and singing. By infusing the arts in the curriculum, we had so much more fun at school and I realized that kids learn faster with rhythm and melody. I developed an alphabet song in Spanish while teaching kids how to speak both English and Spanish. Having taken Latin for four years in high school, I saw the connection between Spanish, Latin, and English. By showing how English and Spanish are connected, this became my fundamental strategy for teaching bilingual students When I became a Principal, I designed a curriculum where students were learning to speak both languages simultaneously I also found the funds to have two music teachers and an art teacher I knew that a well-rounded curriculum must include the arts. Our test scores shot up and our school was top in the District.

On top of having a wide spectrum of experience and roles within the education system, you are someone who has championed for a more inclusive and diverse curriculum to be put in place for schools and have intentionally served the Latinx community in Chicago. In the context of DePaul’s commitment to become a Hispanic Serving Institution, what insights do you have in leading diversity initiatives at large institutions?

When I was the Chicago Deputy Mayor for Education, I was invited by a Professor at Northern Illinois University to tour the campus and then meet with the President. They wanted to attract more Hispanic students and asked for my thoughts on achieving that goal. After touring the campus and talking to some Hispanic students there, I told the President and his senior staff that they needed to address several issues. Among the issues were: more Latino/a faculty, more Latinos in the Administration, specific strategies on how to attract Latinx students, and more strategies to support the Latino students currently enrolled to help them graduate Over a few years, they did those things and now have a large Latinx student population and a good percentage of Latinx faculty I have served on the Latino Advisory Council for the UIC campus and the issues are the same. UIC is also addressing those issues and the Latinx student population and number of faculty have grown. Attaining HSI status requires more than simply having a twenty-five percent Latinx student body. It requires the University to demonstrate that it is already implementing programs and support structures to assure academic success for the students. I am honored and proud to be a part of the Advisory Board for the Latinx programs at DePaul University. I know that President Manuel has a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion that will make a positive difference for the current and future Latinx students and faculty alike. Good things don’t happen by chance. You have to think about all the different things that are impeding progress and remove the obstacles for positive change to happen I know that working together with the great leadership in the Administration and the Faculty, DePaul University will be a model Hispanic Serving Institution.

Good things don’t happen by chance. You have to think about all the different things that are impeding progress and remove the obstacles for positive change to happen.

Is there a piece of advice you would like to give to students currently enrolled at DePaul?

I'd say don't be afraid. You are here because you belong here. Many students lack the self-confidence to take chances, to raise their hand, volunteer, or try something a little different I know that to get the best out of professors, you need to ask them questions Just let your mind go to those places to create something and do something that’s a little out of the ordinary I’d also advise students to become a part of a Latinx student organization and work as a group to help each other succeed. Join a club or a team to develop yourself in every way. The national percentage of the Latinx population is growing quickly and the opportunities for talented, educated Latinx University graduates have never been better. DePaul University has courses of study for anything you wish to accomplish. So, follow your dreams and make it happen. Now is the time to step up and be part of the growing number of Latinx leaders in every industry and profession of our society. Enjoy your unique journey.