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Jessica M. Bonilla is a Mexican American woman who was born and raised in Los Angeles. She grew up
attending schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District and always had a love of education. Her
three older siblings always pushed her and this, coupled with her own interest in learning, made her
passionate about her education. This unfortunately took a turn when an adult at her elementary school
made her the victim of emotional abuse, making her question her intelligence and ultimately affecting her
relationship with education for years to come.
Her journey through the remaining years of her K-12 education proved difficult, as she was no longer as
confident as she once was. However, there was always an internal spark that pushed her to keep learning
and striving for more. She struggled the most with mathematics but persisted through the years. In her
senior year, she took Calculus AB, barely keeping her head above the water, but attending class every
day.
She did love all the subjects but had an affinity for mathematics. As a first-year college student, she
declared business as her major. In her second year, her friends began to have different courses and
Jessica, not wanting to be left out, decided to take Calculus with them. It was this class, taught by Dr.
Richard Abdelkerim, that reignited her passion for mathematics. He taught calculus from the pure
perspective and it all seemed to click so naturally for her. It was the first time in years that she once again
felt confident in the subject she loved most. She changed her major to mathematics and never looked
back, vowing to help women of color like herself kindle their passion for mathematics through education.
It was at the college where she found her confidence in mathematics that Jessica held her first teaching
position. Pasadena City College was developing a program called Pathway (now called First Year
Experience) to help first year students successfully transition into college. Being a Pathway student
herself, Jessica became interested in giving back to the program that helped her so much. She applied to
teach in their summer program, Math Jam. She worked alongside her peers to help prepare new students
at Pasadena City College for the first math class they would take in the Fall. Each Math Jam tutor was
responsible for a class of 20-30 students for about a week or two, depending on the year. In this role,
Jessica began to discover her teaching identity. With a focus on relationships and building the capacity of
each student at the individual level, Jessica flourished in this role and solidified her love of teaching. She
held this position for three summers, continuing past her stay at Pasadena City College and up until her
graduation from Mount Saint Mary’s University.
While enrolled in the master’s program for Mathematics at California State University, Los Angeles,
Jessica applied to be a teaching associate. Under the guidance of Professor Eyob Demeke, she was
responsible for teaching a few college-level courses. Having full reign over the curriculum allowed her to
develop her personal pedagogy, which included a focus on vocabulary and the “why” behind the
mathematics. This eventually transitioned into an inquiry-based learning model, which she loved to
facilitate. Jessica values a student-centered classroom where joy is always present, despite math being
an anxiety-inducing subject for many. At times it felt like a difficult task, but while in this position, there
was a defining moment that truly made her realize that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her
life. She was teaching her first class, and their final exam was around the corner. She let students know
she would be in the library if anyone needed help studying. As she sat in the library, she anticipated
maybe 2 students at most would show up. Funny enough, the entire class eventually showed up.
Breakthroughs were made and the two-hour study session was filled with laughter, joy, and community. It
was at this moment that she knew she was capable of making math accessible (and enjoyable) for all
students.
Eventually, Jessica applied to be a substitute teacher within Los Angeles Unified. During the interview
process, she was encouraged to apply to be a district intern, which would allow her to teach mathematics
in the K-12 setting. She applied, got accepted into the program, and began her career at Theodore
Roosevelt Senior High. The love she has for her community and students is truly immeasurable. She
dedicates countless hours to their success and has successfully helped students transition from “nonmath
people” to “math people.” Her door is literally always open to help students, whether they are
enrolled in her class or not.
“Hispanic Heritage month, for me, is joy. Being able to celebrate my culture and the culture of the vast
majority of my students deepens my sense of community and fills me with joy. I take pride in recognizing
the countless contributions and hands that have led us to where we are. It brings me excitement to know
that we are also breaking barriers and paving the way for even more amazing contributions that will go
beyond our imagination.”