Finding her voice, following her heart: Mia Ayarza's journey to becoming an educator

By: Brian Dunn March 27, 2025

Mia Ayarza, a junior education major at Austin Peay, poses in the Ed Tech Studio at the Eriksson College of Education. | Photo by Sean McCully

During her senior year at Northwest High School, Mia Ayarza was deep into her clinical rotations in the Health Science Academy, following a predetermined path toward medical school. Like many children of immigrant parents, she felt the weight of cultural expectations to pursue prestigious careers.

"Being Latino, your family expects you to be a doctor, a lawyer, really high-quality things," Ayarza said.

But during her clinicals, something felt off.

"I didn't like seeing the kids cry after giving them shots,” she said. “I didn't like that kids were scared to come to the doctor. There wasn't a sense of community that I wanted to be in."

Ayarza's teaching philosophy centers on creating safe, welcoming environments for every student to thrive. | Photo by Sean McCully

A Classroom Revelation

The turning point came in March of her senior year when her pre-calculus teacher, Ms. Alvarez, allowed her to guide freshmen through a study review. She witnessed something transformative in that moment: when understanding dawns in a student's eyes.

"Having that interaction with them and actually seeing that little light bulb turn on in their heads was so fascinating," said Ayarza, a junior education major at Austin Peay State University. "Since then, I've been passionate about teaching."

Changing career paths wasn't easy. Ayarza had been accepted to Hollins University, where she planned to study pre-medicine. She earned her spot on the soccer team and met her future teammates. When financial realities collided with family circumstances, she had to make a difficult choice.

"My mom was like, 'I'm going to have to work three jobs,'" Ayarza recalled. "And I was like, that's not what I want."

The experience forced her to reevaluate her college choice and career path.

For Ayarza, this wasn't just a practical decision but a profound one that challenged the expectations placed on her as a Latina from an immigrant family.

"I dealt with a lot of backlash from my family because a lot of Hispanic families want their children to be doctors, lawyers, bankers," she said.

Born in South Korea, Ayarza comes from a family with rich immigrant roots. Her father, from Colombia, immigrated to the United States and gained citizenship through military service. Her mother, born in the U.S., has Dominican heritage, with Ayarza's maternal grandmother immigrating from the Dominican Republic as a teenager.

"My grandparents came through the formal immigration process," Ayarza said. "They took that long process."

Ayarza grew up navigating multiple cultural identities in Clarksville. While excelling academically and earning a spot on the varsity soccer team as a freshman, she felt caught between worlds, sometimes hesitant to speak Spanish for fear of judgment about her accent.

Ayarza visits the Latino Community Resource Center at Austin Peay. | Photo by Sean McCully

Finding Community and Cultural Pride

That changed when she found her community at Austin Peay, particularly through Sigma Lambda Gamma, the university's first multicultural sorority.

"Being with so many people who were so proud of their culture, regardless if it was Korean or Black or White or Spanish – I was like, 'Oh my goodness, that's so nice,'" Ayarza said. "It encouraged me to be like, 'I am Dominican, I can speak Spanish,' and not have shame."

Ayarza struggled to find her place when she first arrived at Austin Peay, but everything changed when she met Juana Chavez-Hernandez, who introduced her to Sigma Lambda Gamma.

"I came to APSU with the mindset of graduating and moving far away from Clarksville," she said. "When I met her sisters, I realized how diverse and accepting they were. I automatically felt so welcomed and was drawn in by their values, backgrounds, and personalities."

This sense of belonging was particularly meaningful for Ayarza, who struggled with isolation during her high school years - especially during the pandemic.

"My sophomore year of high school was in 2020-21; during that time, I spent most of the school year alone," she said. "I was too anxious to make conversations. I joke that I was an expert at small talk because I could only make simple connections with others."

Her journey from introvert to campus leader wasn't straightforward. After feeling isolated during the pandemic, she overcompensated by joining numerous activities—the school play, class president, academy student council, soccer, and track.

"Although I was busy and doing all these things that forced me to be sociable, it all felt like too much," she said. "My mental health took a major decline, and I became very suicidal."

Track helped her find balance.

"Running made me feel free," she said. "I ran miles on end, and it felt like the first thing that I finally did for myself. When I was running, nothing else in the world mattered."

In this supportive team environment, Ayarza found her voice.

"This was the first sport where I spoke, and people cared,” she said. “They knew I identified as a lesbian, and they showed me unconditional love anyway."

Today, she balances academics with roles in the Honors Program, the President’s Emerging Leadership Program, work at Austin Peay's Little Govs Child Learning Center, and leadership in her sorority.

Reimagining Education Through Her Experience

Ayarza’s experiences have shaped her personal growth and vision for education.

"I want learning to be super fun," she said. "I feel like there's a transition between fourth or fifth grade where students stop liking to learn. I want them to feel like they have control of their learning and that their learning has meaning."

As she works toward becoming a K-5 teacher, Ayarza sees her identities – as a Latina, LGBTQ+ community member, and someone who overcame anxiety through therapy – as assets for creating an inclusive classroom. She is passionate about ensuring all students see themselves represented in the curriculum.

"Growing up, I went through K-12 and didn't learn anything about my culture unless it was a presentation I did about the Dominican Republic," she said. "I want to diversify the curriculum as much as I can. I don't want students to feel unrepresented."

Ayarza's teaching philosophy centers on creating safe, welcoming environments for every student to thrive.

"I value humanism and progressivism because to teach students we need to create a safe and welcoming environment in the classroom," she said. "Making connections with students is the best way to be a teacher because they know that we care for them."

She credits Ms. Alvarez as the inspiration for her teaching approach.

"She was the main person who supported me and encouraged me to become a teacher," Ayarza said. "The moment I told her, she was on board, showing me teaching strategies and how to do attendance. She allowed me to teach her freshmen class and lead their study guide review."

Ayarza plans to start her teaching career after graduation before pursuing graduate studies to become a professor who teaches future educators. She envisions classrooms where diversity is celebrated and creativity flourishes.

"If students don't want to draw and they prefer writing, write,” she said. “If you're a great talker and you're not good at writing, talk and tell me your story. If you want to be an actor and act out instead of draw, do that. I want creative freedom in my classroom because every job requires creativity.”

Ayarza also wants to inspire self-determination in other Latino students, no matter what pressures others have placed on them.

"Latino students deserve to choose a major that fits their expectations of themselves and nobody else's,” she said. “I'm a junior now, so my family has realized that I am sticking with education, but they've come around. They know I am happy, and at the end of the day, that's what they want most."

MIA’S JOURNEY AT A GLANCE

Background

Born in South Korea
Father from Colombia (gained U.S. citizenship through military service)
Mother born in the U.S. with Dominican heritage
Lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with mother and middle-school sister

Education Path

Northwest High School graduate, Health Science Academy
Switched from pre-medicine to education in senior year
Originally accepted to Hollins University (with academic scholarships)
Junior education major at Austin Peay State University

Campus Involvement

Member of Sigma Lambda Gamma multicultural sorority
Works at Austin Peay's Little Govs Child Learning Center
Active in Honors Program and President’s Emerging Leadership Program
Aims to teach K-5 after graduation
Long-term goal: Become a professor of education

Teaching Philosophy

"I want them to feel like they have control over their learning and that their learning has meaning."

News Feed

View All News

Austin Peay hosting 64th annual Mid-South Jazz Festival through April 5

This year's event features performances by the APSU Jazz Collective, Cumberland Winds Jazz Project, and the Bobby Watson Group.

Forbes features APSU's pioneering teacher apprenticeship program

Forbes has recognized APSU's Eriksson College of Education for its groundbreaking teacher apprenticeship program--the nation's first approved by the U.S. Department of Labor. The innovative "earn while you learn" model has influenced similar programs across 45 states and U.S. territories.

Araan Schmidt's 'Cracked Earth' brings outdoor art back to APSU

Austin Peay State University has installed "Cracked Earth," a new outdoor public sculpture by artist Araan Schmidt, on the campus's Arts Quad as part of an initiative to transform the university into a public sculpture park.

������Ƶ