SPRING BRANCH, Texas — Two decades ago, Gloria Galvan went on a search for find the best bilingual studies program in Texas. She landed in San Antonio at UTSA before nabbing her first job as an educator at South San Antonio ISD.
She’s been at Price Elementary School ever since and she remains just as committed today, as she was 20 years ago.
KENS 5 Anchor Sarah Forgany and Chris Armstrong from our partner Credit Human, presented Galvan with the KENS 5 EXCEL Award including a $1,000 check.
In the corner of her classroom, Gloria Galvan has a small personal library that holds 19-years worth of big treasured memories.
"I just like to integrate art into to my lessons. We really learn about Picasso and Henri Matisse," said Galvan.
Whether it’s art or books, “my focus is always having them see somebody from their same culture. We are a bilingual classroom so I bring a little bit of both worlds for them,” she added.
She proudly showed off all the things her students gifted her over the years, "A student bought me this purse,” she said. “And a student drew Frida for me.”
Many of those pieces paint a good picture of the strong bond Galvan has forged with students at Price Elementary.
"It's a great experience with her," 5th grader, Chrysler, said.
He and his cousin, Genesis, who is also in Galvan’s class moved to the U.S. from Honduras. "I was scared,” Genesis said. “I didn't know English,” but she quickly added that having a teacher like Galvan makes it a much easier process, setting them up for success.
Galvan said she considers them family and treats all her students as if they are her own kids. "They invite me to their events, their games, quinceaneras.”
No matter what they’re dealing with in life, Galvan says she always shows up for them.
As we walked around her classroom, she pointed to a picture in the corner and said these are memories of people who are no longer in her life. She told us the little boy in that photo was a former student named Tony who passed away several years ago after a fierce battle with brain cancer.
“When he had surgeries, his mom would message me and say he wants you to come but it's in Houston,” Galvan recalled. “I would say: It's okay. I'll be there.”
In fact, years after Tony’s passing, Galvan said she still stays in touch with all of his classmates, adding they will graduate high school this year. "That was something that changed all of our lives forever. I still talk to all of them," she said.
Tony’s impact on her is why she says she continues to teach today. He’s been a driving force for Galvan to continue building close relationships with students and always being there for them when they need her.
“I always tell them, don't forget about me. I'm going to be here,” Galvan said. "They're going to come back and visit me and tell me they're lawyers and engineers."
Galvan plays a big role outside her classroom too. She helped kick off the Price Drama Club back in 2009 in hopes of giving students a chance to shine outside the classroom and truly be who they are while getting to interact and having fun. To this day, she says the drama club is still going strong.
Galvan is also a sponsor of the Spanish Spelling Bee, Scripps Spelling Bee and UIL.
The KENS 5 EXCEL Award in partnership with Credit Human has been a staple in San Antonio for 25 years.
Every school year, KENS 5 visits 19 school districts and presents one deserving teacher from each district with the award and $1,000 from partner Credit Human.
This is the KENS 5 EXCEL Awards 25th years partnering with Credit Human to honor local teachers. If you’d like to watch past winners, click on kens5.com/EXCEL.