JERON VELASCO: From La Castellana to US as a cultural exchange teacher

Now the 2025 Arizona History Teacher of the Year

Another Negrense giving honor to the Philippines abroad is Jeron Velasco, a teacher from La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

Jeron Velasco has been named the 2025 Arizona History Teacher of the Year, one of only few teachers to receive the award.

Velasco has also been selected for the national C-SPAN Teacher Fellowship, with only five teachers chosen nationwide.

Jeron teaches history at Dishchii’bikoh Community School in Cibecue, Arizona, on the White Mountain Apache Reservation. He’s known for his creative and culturally rich teaching style that highlights Indigenous history and voices. His students have produced award-winning history projects on important topics such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Native boarding schools, and Apache veterans.

Originally from La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Philippines, Jeron came to the US as a cultural exchange teacher. He uses his background and experiences to inspire students and connect history lessons to real-life community stories.

Beyond teaching, Jeron leads projects like Heroes of Cibecue, a student-written book honoring Apache war veterans, now used in local classrooms. Jeron shares this success with his wife, Gene Rose (also a history teacher), their four children, their families, friends, his students, and the Cibecue community.* (Arman P. Toga/NDB, as told by Jovel Ann Beramo)