Ignatian Educator of the Year Named

Mrs. Margarita Guerrero has been selected by her peers as the first recipient of the Beatriz Jiménez Ignatian Educator of the Year Award. Affectionately referred to as Maca by her colleagues, she is celebrating her tenth year at Belen Jesuit as a Spanish teacher.

“We are so happy to be able to name the Ignatian Educator award after Beatriz Jiménez,” said José E. Roca ‘84, principal. “For 34 years, she served our community as a teacher, chairperson and administrator. She was a role model for all of us and demonstrated how a faith-filled person gives the MAGIS for the Greater Glory of God. It is also befitting that Mrs. Guerrero was recognized with this award. She embodies the principles of an Igantian Educator and puts forth maximum effort in all that she does. In addition to teaching Spanish,  she also shares her faith, knowledge, and abilities with her students and colleagues.”  

Announced during the Mass of the Holy Spirit on August 26, the award was presented to her by its namesake, Beatriz Jiménez. The Mass is the first of the academic year and is a tradition among Jesuit academic institutions dating to 1548, in which the community gathers to thank God for the gifts of creation and salvation and to seek the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in the coming year.

“For 30 years, I have been lucky enough to make my passion my profession,” said Mrs. Guerrero. “As I experienced Belen first through the eyes of my sons, I saw what a special place it was and desired to be part of this community. In 2012 I met and interviewed with Annette Anton, who believed in me and my abilities, and shortly thereafter, I was blessed with the opportunity to do what I love, here, in a place that I love. From the very start, I was moved by the sense of family at Belen. I was inspired by the work of my colleagues to always do the Magis and teach from the heart. To have been selected as the recipient of the first Beatriz Jiménez Ignatian Educator Award is an honor; it's beyond words. As I look around me at so many teachers, counselors, and administrators that I admire, who have mentored me and inspired me, I am truly humbled, and my heart is filled with gratitude. AMDG.”

During the ceremony, Mrs. Jiménez was also honored to commemorate the award being named after her. The Beatriz Jiménez Ignatian Educator of the Year Award will be selected annually and given to a member of the faculty or staff who exemplifies the profile of an Ignatian Educator. The educator serves as a guide with and for students on their formational journeys at Belen Jesuit. The Ignatian Educator engages in ongoing personal, professional and religious development in order to sustain a vibrant community committed to the mission of Jesuit education. 

“I was so happy that this award considers not just teachers but all employees,” said Mrs.Jiménez after the award presentation. ‘You are all educators, we share a common mission to educate and guide forth. We are here to strive to be the most authentic examples of Jesus Christ. To the young, you have a common mission to open your mind and heart to learning always. You are the future, strive to be the best person you can be. The most consciousness, compassionate, and competent young man you can possibly be. Make the future better and through the grace of the Holy Spirit go forth and set the world on fire.”