February 03, 2020

Castro Announces State of the Union Guest, Teacher and DACA Recipient María Rocha

WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and member of the House Intelligence and Education and Labor Committees, today announced his guest to this year’s State of the Union Address, María Rocha. Rocha, a dual language teacher from San Antonio, is in her sixth year of teaching. She is one of the 2,000+ Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) teachers in the state of Texas.

“I’m excited to welcome María Rocha as my guest to tomorrow’s State of the Union Address. A dual language teacher for six years in San Antonio as well as a DACA recipient, she teaches 2nd graders about the importance of equitable educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their immigration status. Given that DACA could be terminated by The Supreme Court in just a few months, Dreamers like María who add so much value to our communities could be vulnerable to deportation. I stand in solidarity with our Dreamers and DACA recipients. They are as American as any of us, despite the President's attempts to slander and speak ill about who they are. María represents the very best of what this country has to offer, a committed public servant who has dedicated her life to giving back to San Antonio’s children. I’m honored to have her as my guest this year.”

Biography: María Rocha is a first-generation graduate from The University of Texas at San Antonio. Originally from Torreón, Coahuila, México, María received her bachelor's degree in elementary bilingual education and is currently obtaining her master’s degree in Educational Leadership at UTSA. María is in her 6th year of teaching in San Antonio and is one of 2,000+ DACA teachers in Texas and estimated 20,000+ DACA teachers nationwide. María is a former 2018-2019 Teach Plus Texas fellow where she grounded herself in advocacy work around early childhood education, dual-language programs, and providing equitable educational opportunities for all students regardless of their immigration status. 

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