A senior at Morton East High School is earning statewide recognition—and heading to a national stage—for his performance in a competitive education event.
Esteban Salazar, a member of the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teaching Internship program, recently competed in the Illinois State Ed Rising competition. There, he delivered a “Rising Moment” speech that stood out among participants and impressed a panel of judges.
“Just want to share out a huge congratulations to senior—and Future Teacher!—Esteban Salazar! He delivered a very moving Rising Moment speech to a panel of judges who got tears and chills at the Illinois State Ed Rising competition last Thursday,” said Dr. Veronica Rundell, science teacher at Morton East High School.
His strong performance earned him a score high enough to qualify for the national Ed Rising conference, which will take place in Portland, Oregon this June.
“His score was high enough to qualify for the National conference competition in Portland, OR this June,” Rundell added.
Another Morton East student, Oswaldo Barron-Alvarado, also performed well at the competition, participating in the Job Interview event.
“Oswaldo Barron-Alvarado also had a great effort on the Job Interview competition, and he’d have been hired, per the panel, if it had been a real opportunity,” Rundell said.
Both students are planning to pursue careers in education and are currently gaining hands-on experience through the school’s internship program.
“Both Esteban and Oswaldo plan to teach as a career and are excellent interns in the CTE Teaching Internship class,” Rundell said.
