Juan Pore has a Masters in Education from Central Washington University, with an emphasis on Educational Leadership and Administration and a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University with 20 years of experience in various roles of teaching and program administration. He is a 2021 Educator Award recipient and a 2020 Educator Honorable Mention of the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Eastern Affiliate for his work with encouraging and engaging young female students in rural communities to pursue STEM careers in computer science, robotics, coding, and gaming.
Juan’s background includes working with students in early education as a family service administrator in southwest Detroit’s Hispanic district, teaching in schools and districts across the country, and serving as program site director and college & career advisor in rural Washington. Juan worked as Altera GEAR UP site director in Quincy, WA in two college outreach programs, advising and mentoring student cohorts graduating in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021 working with them and their families from middle school through their 1st year of post-secondary education. 99% of his charges formally applied to a postsecondary institution. As Altera Associate Director/Operations, he currently oversees curricula development, program operations and site director support working in 2022-23 with 8 rural districts. Juan serves also serves as Quincy District site director for Altera’s Upward Bound Math & Science program.
Juan works to ensure that programs offered to rural students and families by Altera continue, then remain embedded in the rural school districts with whom Altera has partnered; there are more districts who need these services. After witnessing (firsthand) the success stories from students he worked with, and observing the gaps in service due to a lack of resources, he believes it imperative to continue the work to give rural communities the tools needed to compete and achieve at high levels in comparison to their urban counterparts. “We are providing culturally thoughtful and creative programs that build up our communities that are often lower prioritized populations when it comes to receiving much-needed resources. We help our rural students see their own potential, then help them build the skills to ensure their success. More students here need this kind of support.”