10 Years of Excellence In Catholic Education
Alumna Dominique Salapare reflects on the impact of the Excellence in Catholic Education and Leadership program
For ten years, a select group of Master of Arts in Teaching and Teaching Credential Candidates have dedicated their studies to the Excellence in Catholic Education and Leadership (ExCEL) program. ExCEL supports Catholic school educators through a program committed to developing teachers pedagogically, spiritually, and communally; and working for social justice through educational equity.
About ExCEL
Inspired by similar programs at a number of prominent Catholic universities, ExCEL represents the joint vision of John A. Sobrato ‘60 and Sue Sobrato, philanthropists with a long commitment to Catholic education, and the Santa Clara University School of Education and Counseling Psychology (ECP), to prepare aspiring Catholic teachers with a commitment to Catholic education and our community at the highest level. Ten years ago, the Sobrato Family Foundation provided the seed funding and foundational resources to build and launch ExCEL. While programs at other schools provide full tuition scholarships, living stipends, and living communities committed to spiritual development for students in similar programs, they often support students in building a life in service, but not necessarily in education.
Focused on preparing Catholic educators committed to teaching in our region, Santa Clara’s program is a strategic investment in bringing educators with the highest quality preparation pedagogically, spiritually, and technologically into our local communities. The program is tailored to student teacher needs and centers on the particular values and ambitions of Catholic education. Dominique Salapare MAT‘23 believes she wouldn’t be the teacher she is today without it.
Dominique’s Story
Born and raised in Southern California, the child of Filipino immigrants, and a lifelong lover of reading and writing, Salapare has wanted to be a teacher since the third grade. So when she saw an ad for ExCEL upon completing her Bachelor’s, it was a no brainer that she’d apply.
“I want to be the kind of teacher that is able to advocate for my students, so I immediately connected with ExCEL’s pillar of Teaching as a Service, and the emphasis on anti-racist, anti-oppressive pedagogy that specifically focuses on supporting students from marginalized communities. I wasn’t seeing these values advertised in any other teaching programs,” says Salapare. “I also liked the idea of teaching in an environment where I could bring faith and education together, so a Catholic teaching program was right up my alley.”
During her two years in the program, Salapare and her cohort members each received full tuition scholarships and worked as student teachers for TK-12 Catholic schools in the Diocese of San José, while living in community with one another. She and her colleagues also enjoyed additional training and support as first and second year teachers. To Salapare specifically, the quality of education and the lifelong friendships she made while living in community were the highlights of her experience.
“I think that the living in community aspect is sort of a meta lesson for teaching. You’re living with seven individuals you’ve never met and didn’t choose. But this program was calling me to be in an intentional community with these people and find ways to love them,” Salapare says. “That is exactly what teaching is. I don’t choose who comes into my classroom, their parents, or my coworkers, but I’m still called to serve alongside them. It's my duty to make sure I'm reaching them the best way that I possibly can with the support that they need.”
Salapare also cherishes the pedagogy and how learning was structured in the program. Each day, Salapare and her colleagues would teach full-time at a school, then gather for classes in the evening. Tools and strategies discussed in class would then be fresh in her mind to employ with her students the next day. Twice a month, Catholic Programs Director John Beltramo would observe her classes and share valuable feedback on her teaching.
In addition to development as a teacher, personal development was prioritized through spirituality-focused community events and anti-racism dialogues that Beltramo and the students would alternate in coordinating. “It was during these conversations that the Jesuit ideal of teaching the whole person shone through. We all have this innate goodness that needs to be affirmed in the classroom or otherwise, and we were taught to understand where people are coming from and to approach situations with empathy,” says Salapare.
Now an English teacher at St. Francis High School, Salapare asserts that she needed her two years in ExCEL to be the teacher she is today– one that knows what it looks like to acknowledge all the backgrounds and cultures students come from and see it as a trea- sure and an asset in the classroom. As the program celebrates its 10th anniversary, director John Beltramo is excited for what’s to come.
“With support from the Sobrato family and leadership across SCU, ExCEL members have contributed so much to this diocese, both through their teaching and, increasingly, through their leadership, as we now have a handful of ExCEL alumni now serving as school administrators,” says Beltramo. “As we’re joined by Kenna Arana, our new Assistant Director of Catholic Education, ExCEL is positioned well to grow even more strongly in its commitments to bringing Christ-centered, equity-oriented education to Catholic school classrooms across the Silicon Valley. I’m excited to see what the next ten years have in store.”