Erika Ruiz Santillán, a 3rd-grade teacher at Adelante Charter School, was named the 2026 Teacher of the Year by the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE). The statewide award recognizes Ruiz Santillán for her work as a bilingual educator, her leadership, and her positive impact on students.
“It was such a full circle moment for me, because I started as an English learner myself. I am like my students. I’m a mirror for them,” said Ruiz Santillán, who grew up just three blocks from Adelante on Santa Barbara’s Eastside. The daughter of immigrants from Mexico, she spoke Spanish as a first language and learned English upon attending Franklin Elementary School.
Ruiz Santillán first became interested in education as a teenager, when her dance instructor took a leave of absence and asked her to teach the children’s Mexican folk dance group while he was away. Coaching a group of young kids and coordinating a busy schedule of Fiesta performances, something clicked into place for Ruiz Santillán. “I saw everything as a puzzle for me to solve. I loved the creativity part and the problem solving, and I ended up just really loving to work with children, and that was what kind of started my path into teaching,” she said.