When Lucia de la Cruz Rodriguez first heard Shakira’s “Waka Waka” echoing down the hallway, she thought it was part of a lesson. 

“I love Shakira,” she said. “I was just leaving a PLC meeting; I thought they were playing the song for a translation and thought, ‘that’s fun.’”

But something was different that day. As de la Cruz Rodriguez tried to walk past the school’s grand staircase, she noticed her former students waving.

“I was like, shh, quiet,” she said. 

Before de la Cruz Rodriguez could continue, her school’s instructional coach redirected her. 

“She said, ‘No, I’m going to have you going that way.’ She turned me, and it’s when I realized something was happening. I saw my name on the big banner. Then I saw Ofelia (Wade, Utah’s Spanish dual immersion director), my brother and my husband, all who were behind the banner,” de la Cruz Rodriguez said. “Then, I started crying.”

It was a surprise celebration; de la Cruz Rodriguez had been named Midvale Elementary’s Teacher of the Year, an honor she never expected. 

“Surprised? Yes,” she admitted. “It’s hard to think I could be the one because in some meetings, when someone else is sharing something, I’m like, ‘Wow, that teacher is doing that, they are amazing, they are doing great things.’”

That recognition was just the beginning—she was later honored as Canyons School District’s teacher of the year as well. 

De la Cruz Rodriguez is the first dual language immersion teacher to be honored as Canyons’ top teacher. Other finalists include Albion Middle’s Lauren Nielsen and Diamond Ridge High’s Alastair Wright, who is the first educator from the District’s alternative high school to be named a finalist. There were more than 4,000 nominations submitted for the top award.

Also honored at the ceremony were the Preschool Teacher of the Year, Quail Hollow’s Amanda Kissell and Instructional Coach of the Year, Eastmont Middle’s Susie Young.

A Leap of Faith

Five years earlier, de la Cruz Rodriguez had taken a bold step—leaving behind her home and a nearly decade-long teaching career in Mexico to start fresh in the United States after instructing as part of a cultural arts program in Wisconsin for a summer.

“I was teaching in Mexico for nine years,” she said. “When I came here the first year, there were new curriculums, new techniques, new strategies, everything new. I was really focused—not to be the best teacher—but to be the best student and start over learning. That was my goal.”

De la Cruz Rodriguez started over, setting aside years of experience to learn new systems and a new language. 

“My English was bad,” she said. “I remember reading the emails, and I would copy, Google Translate into Spanish, write a reply and Google Translate it back.”

At the time, de la Cruz Rodriguez lived in an apartment with a landlord who only spoke English. 

“So, I was at my computer once again, just typing every single word. I decided, ‘I cannot continue like this,’” she said. 

Instead of giving up, de la Cruz Rodriguez accepted the challenge.

“If I’m asking my students to do this effort, I need to do it,” she realized. “It was one of the best lessons of my life.”

De la Cruz Rodriguez admits at times, it was “painfully difficult.”

“I came here during COVID. It was tough, learning the language on top of it, with masks. I was trying to understand they were telling me something with their mouth completely covered and I could not read their eyes,” she said. “Embracing that was one of the most powerful lessons in my life.”

Learning and Leading by Example

De la Cruz Rodriguez’ classroom quickly became a reflection of her values which carried her through that transition: resilience, community and cultural pride. It’s a vibrant environment filled with colorful visuals, hands-on activities and heartfelt connections.

“I spend more time in my classroom than in my house, and I want it to be a place where students are safe, and that’s one of my goals,” she said. “How can they develop skills if they are emotionally bad? One of my goals is understanding everyone.”

De la Cruz Rodriguez spends the first two months of each school year observing students closely, both academically and emotionally. 

“Every kid likes to be recognized. Maybe by giving hugs or verbal celebrations, or even little notes,” she said. “It builds our community; we are a team. We all help each other; we support one another.”

Her connection to her predominantly Latino school community allows de la Cruz Rodriguez to weave culture into the Spanish dual immersion curriculum. Students celebrate Dia de los Muertos and Latin American Independence Days through dancing, altar-making, and service projects like cleaning up Midvale’s cemetery. 

“Day of the Dead is my favorite celebration and one I love to share with my students,” she said. “These connections with the community are something that is making me feel I belong here.”

A Teaching Legacy 

In Mexico, de la Cruz Rodriguez attended an elementary school which was taught by one teacher—her father.

“We had 24 students in elementary school and my dad was devoted to the curriculum; before he retired, he was an amazing teacher,” she said.

Her father was nationally recognized for his teaching, and her brothers also followed in his footsteps—one recently named teacher of the year in the Tooele School District.

“My dad was always very disciplined. That is something I learned from him—to be very explicit and clear with students,” she said.

De la Cruz Rodriguez also teaches her third graders with love. That blend of structure and heart shows up in the smallest details—from positive affirmations to her classroom reward system.

“Every day in Spanish, we do affirmations: I am wonderful. I am super smart, and I’m going to do my best,” she said. “Sometimes, it’s not what you do with them, it’s the way you tell them things.”

The veteran teacher pours enthusiasm and creativity into every lesson. 

“Kids need someone who is teaching them with all the energy, with the love, learning with them. They deserve quality education and someone who is truly coming happy to teach them; I truly love discovering new ways to get into the lessons and teach them,” she said. “I love third grade. They are kind of mature, but not with an attitude. They are sweet—the hugs they give, the high- fives.”

Her classroom features unique reward systems: students can earn the chance to read with a stuffed animal, sit on the classroom “beach” or visit a pretend “café.” A recognized artist herself, de la Cruz Rodriguez encourages student creativity through an art station option.

With a recent $1,000 award for being named the District’s top educator, she’s investing in next year’s classroom setup, which included a “supermarket.”

“I honestly want to do it with that money and get some things for my kids for next year,” de la Cruz Rodriguez said. “This is something they really love.”

From a Small Town to a Big Impact

De la Cruz Rodriguez’ story began in a village of 34 families. Now the dual immersion teacher is shaping the lives of dozens of students in a diverse, vibrant community—and she remains focused not just on surviving but thriving—and lifting others up with her.

She serves as a model teacher and mentor, welcoming new dual immersion program teachers to observe her class and guides them through their transition. 

“I’ve been doing that since the second year I came here; I want to help them learn ways I’ve discovered,” de la Cruz Rodriguez said. “Kids are super smart. They understand things and they deserve someone who truly believes that.”λ