Jason Torres-Rangel is the 2023 California Teacher of the Year and has been a proud educator for the past 23 years. He taught High School English for 19 years in LAUSD and is now a tenure-track English Professor at Riverside City College. He studies anti-racist assessment practices and is dedicated to creating classroom spaces that uplift diverse student voices and ways of languaging.

Jason’s passions also lie in union organizing; he served as chapter chair to his school and was featured on Democracy Now! during the 2023 joint UTLA-SEIU solidarity strike.

Jason loves to dance and has taught Ballet Folklorico at his school sites; he believes that helping students create spaces where they can physically express joy is just as important (if not more so) than mastering any academic standard.

After earning his BA in English from Pomona College, Jason went on to earn a Masters in Education from Harvard University, and later an MA in English from Cal State LA, and ultimately a PhD from Claremont Graduate University.

In 2023, when Jason was invited to the White House to meet President Biden, and have a sit down conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris, he asked the Vice President if they could Facetime his parents (who are also educators), and he marks this as one of his life’s most incredible moments. Jason believes that we owe everything to our families – biological and chosen – and he is excited to honor them today.