December 21, 2020
Safe space: Teacher of the Year Owen Bondono strives to help marginalized students feel understood. // Photograph courtesy of Owen Bondono
Owen Bondono wishes there had been a teacher like him when he was in high school and struggling to make sense of who he was. Bisexual and transgender, Bondono faced unique challenges while growing up female in Shelby Township.
“When I decided to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to be the kind the high school me needed a role model LBGTQ students can look up to,” he says. “Being ‘out’ with my students helps a great deal because I can show them they can overcome anything they are facing and be successful. … My classroom is a safe environment where students can be themselves.”