Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1463867
Telly Tse Beverly Hills Education Association Pacific Asian American Human Rights Award Telly Tse has been an unflagging advocate for human and civil rights in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. He has demonstrated leadership and excellence in many areas, such as bilingual programs, immigrant issues, anti-Asian vio- lence, political activism, educational equity, and training and leadership opportunities. He has done this through his work as a special education teacher, local association president, CTA Board member, NEA Board member, NEA APIC regional director, mentor of AAPI educators in an NEA-funded pro- gram, and vice president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). Serving as the first male AAPI member of the CTA Board, Tse supports regional Racial Equity Affairs Committees to promote inclusion of underrepresented communities within CTA and build relationships with community organizations that focus on racial equity issues. In his role as a mentor teacher, Tse works with new AAPI educators across the country to examine the challenges they face and ways they can address them. One point he always makes is the positive correlation between union involvement and human rights, which shows the importance of AAPI involvement in the labor movement. As a past vice chair of the CTA Pacific Asian American Caucus and a current regional director of the NEA Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, Tse has helped to increase AAPI involvement and representation in CTA and NEA. Juli Stowers Saddleback Valley Educators Association Human Rights Award for LGBTQ+ Advocacy in Honor of Nancy Bailey Juli Stowers demonstrates leadership and commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy through her extensive service as an educator, labor leader and com- munity organizer. Stowers is the first LGBTQ+ and human rights contact for her local. She serves on the advisory committee for CTA's LGBTQ+ Safety in Schools Grant and Scholarship Program in Honor of Guy DeRosa and is a Human Rights Cadre trainer. Stowers is secretary of the Lavender Democrats of Orange County, and is active with the LGBTQ Center OC, where she has served as co-facilitator of the Trans Community and Allies Together group. She has organized many events, such as Trans Day of Remembrance. She is a member of the Human Rights Council and GLSEN, and has collaborated with other LGBTQ+ organizations to organize events and support allies in their campaigns for school board, state and national positions. What makes Stowers special is what she has helped to create. She is a founding member of Youth First OC, which advocated for the California Healthy Youth Act and the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act in Orange County schools. She is a founding member of the Newport Beach PFLAG group. As a Cadre trainer, she has helped create workshops on LGBTQ+ issues, including one on supporting trans students. Perhaps most important , she works behind the scenes in her district and community to help students and parents with name changes, safety, and learning how to advocate for their rights — not easy in her community. Daniel Gallegos Lynwood Teachers Association Students With Exceptional Needs Human Rights Award Daniel Gallegos' goal is to shift students with exceptionalities' views of themselves from failures to successes and to see themselves as able and responsible. Gallegos helps enable students to set goals, commit to a course of action, and experience the consequences of their choices, decisions and actions. Throughout his career, Gallegos has estab- lished safe and secure learning environments to assist each student in achieving their goals. He encouraged students to participate in building this environment and the daily regi- men — essential in engaging each student and 40 cta.org Social Justice