The educator our community needs

“STEM teaches you how to make something, but art gives you the innovation to create something new.”

So says Teacher Scholar Lexine Ragua, 2024 Salutatorian at San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts and the first in her family to attend college.

In earlier grades, Lexine said she was hurt when music and humanities classes she loved lost funding to STEM classes. At SDSCPA—a magnet school where students must audition to qualify for admission—Lexine immersed herself in music, math and science. She was especially inspired by math and science classes that wove art into the curriculum and demonstrated that STEM and the arts rely upon each other.

“This begged the question of whether STEM should truly take precedence over art,” Lexine said, “and my experiences have led me to a simple answer: of course not.”

We’re proud of you, Lexine, and are excited to support you as you become the educator our community needs!