Academics

Educator Profiles

Jerome Garcia

Attendance/Disciplinarian Counselor
MS Academics
Nambe Pueblo

Although I didn’t graduate from college, I was able to be credentialed to teach vocational subjects through alternative methods from the University of California at Riverside. I’m a retired military veteran of over 22 years of active service and served under three different branches of the military. My military career consisted of four years active in the U.S. Air Force as a Security Police, four years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Material Storage Handler, and 17 years active in the U.S. Coast Guard as an Aircraft Electronics Technician (Avionics), and as a helicopter rescue hoist operator during Search and Rescue (SAR) missions at sea. I met my wife Stephanie soon after my enlistment ended from the Air Force and got married a year later and started a family

I retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in August of 2002, and went back to school to become certified to teach vocational education in the state of California. For a couple of years, I worked at Sherman Indian High School in Riverside California; I taught electronics, math, building trades, and was a JV Football Coach. I was offered a job at Nambe Pueblo, where I am a tribal member, even though I was born and raised in East Los Angeles California. Upon my return to New Mexico, I worked as a Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator at the Pueblo of Nambe to develop an educational curriculum for the prevention of substance abuse. I was involved with work that gave Nambe Pueblo youth and their families the needed support in reducing substance use and abuse among the community.

I’m an educator who can give back to youth; I share with them some of my own experiences and the opportunities I have had. I let them know that there are many opportunities to succeed in life, and that for some, being successful means being happy in whatever they do. It doesn’t matter whether their goals are to be the next president of the United States or to be a telephone operator – just so they can be happy in life. Reaching those goals will make them a better, happier person. I enjoy their success stories and help with any struggles they might have.

At Santa Fe Indian School, I am the Middle School Attendance/Disciplinarian Counselor. My first position at SFIC was in Security. I substituted at the school and also went to Santa Fe Community College to get my credential to teach electronics in New Mexico. Then this position came up. I do have a little history here, too; I have aunts who went here during the 1930s and 1940s. When I was still at Sherman, we brought our varsity football team to play here, and I saw how beautiful the campus set up was. I noticed how helpful and involved the staff where during our visit. I knew that this is a great place; this is where I needed to be.

The most important core value here is family, and the family values. Those core values that support treating others as they would treat themselves, and then helping, giving back are very important. I’ve been blessed with an exciting life, and I’d like to share that with others.

My passion in life, aside from my family, is waking up in the morning and thinking what can I do or say to make someone’s day a happy one, and as the disciplinarian, that can be a little challenging. At the end of the day I sometimes ask myself, did I do enough today to fulfill my passion? Then I remember the smiles on the faces of our youth, which is worth a lot, more than anything.