Saúl Pamatz Melgarejo: “Now I’m a teacher and I hope to continue being a teacher.”

There were two childhood experiences that changed the path for Saúl Pamatz Melgarejo.

The first came in the seventh grade when his dream of becoming an engineer was dashed.

“One teacher told me, ‘Oh, you know, you’re not as good at math. Maybe do something else,” he recalled.

The second one occurred in high school when he realized what being undocumented meant as far as his educational future was concerned.

“I didn’t even know what that meant,” he said. “I didn’t realize how that would affect me.”

Pamatz Melgarejo, in his senior year at Sunnyside High School, met Amanda Peterson, a teacher and advanced placement instructional coordinator.

“She really advocated not just for me, but for all students. She really believed from Day One that I could do it, that I could persevere,” said Pamatz Melgarejo. “But, she wasn’t aware of my status until I told her my senior year.”

No problem, Anderson helped him through that.

Friday night, Pamatz Melgarejo earned his master’s in multilingual multicultural education with a 3.9 GPA during the Kremen School of Education commencement ceremony at the Save Mart Center.

He was the graduate recipient of the dean’s medal.

Pamatz Melgarejo previously earned his bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a minor in communicative sciences and deaf studies from Fresno State.

His mother’s side of the family has “a whole range of teachers,” he said. But, he figured he’d finish high school and get a job. “I didn’t think I could be more than just that,” he said.

Then he met Peterson, who made sure he got to college.

“I did not want to be in education. Well, at least I didn’t think so,” said Pamatz Melgarejo. “I didn’t want to teach, or I thought I couldn’t be a teacher. But, I knew I belonged in higher education.”

That changed his senior year when a Spanish-language instructor convinced him to take her AP Spanish course. Pamatz Melgarejo wasn’t sure, after all he already “knew Spanish.”

“I was kind of blind when I was in that course, but I got really comfortable with the language, the culture, and the people in there,” he said.

Pamatz Melgarejo realized that immigrant students with limited English skills still possessed “all this knowledge” but lacked resources to move ahead. That’s when he decided that teaching would be a good career choice.

“I want to be a teacher that advocates for students,” he said. “I want to help bridge and break down barriers. Students should have access to education regardless of their legal status, socioeconomic background, or diversity.”

Pamatz Melgarejo originally majored in English because he figured he’d be an English teacher. However, he found out he wasn’t that passionate about the subject. “I just preferred it more as a hobby than a field of study,” he said.

He continued studying Spanish in college. He was a double major in French, but dropped it after concluding that “I wouldn’t ever really use it.” Pamatz Melgarejo replaced it with American Sign Language.

“I really got to know my biases and my ignorance,” he admitted. “I picked up sign language super fast, so I kept studying it.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d do once he graduated.

“I went to college to get educated. It didn’t matter about the money or having a good job lined up after internships,” said Pamatz Melgarejo. “I learned the importance of pedagogy, the holistic components of culture, and the importance of equity and accessibility.”

Three months before he earned his bachelor’s degree, Pamatz Melgarejo had his green card approved.

“It doesn’t define me. I am intelligent and I’m capable. I was able to maneuver those spaces and overcome situations with less. I was resilient,” he said.

A course in Latinx education allowed him to “study myself from another lens.”

“I was able to see what I’ve overcome,” he said. That’s when he decided going into education was his path.

He went on to advocate for students with similar backgrounds, tutoring students in rural Orange Center Elementary School just south of Fresno.

“Oftentimes, students aren’t aware of what they can do if someone doesn’t tell them, if someone doesn’t genuinely tell them or care about them,” said Pamatz Melgarejo, a dual immersion teacher.

“I’ve met the most amazing students, the most amazing co-workers,” he said. “Now I’m a teacher and I hope to continue being a teacher.”

His research project is titled ‘Undocumented Journeys: Pathways to Higher Education in Uncertain Political Times.’ Dr. Theresa Huerta was his cohort advisor.

Pamatz Melgarejo believes that one should use education to go back and uplift their communities.

“I made a promise to go back to my community, to uplift them and to be the change,” he said.

Saúl Pamatz Melgarejo

Honor: Kremen School of Education graduate dean’s medalist

Family: Parents Eli Pamatz and María Naide, brothers Xavier and John Pamatz

Born: Michoacán, México

Age: 23

High school: Sunnyside High School (2015)

Hobby: “I enjoy reading all types of literature, so I have my own library. I like multicultural literature. I really like representation and diversity.”

Music: “I listen to all kinds of music. I don’t really have a preferred type as long as I can vibe with it.”

Food: Vietnamese soup. “I’ll eat it two to three times a week.”