Brenda Ruiz is this year's Arvin High School Teacher of the Year — one of 56 teachers from across Kern County being honored with the distinction.
Ruiz is also the force behind Arvin High School's ballet folklórico program, which she started in fall 2022 with only 5 students. By 2026, the program has grown to more than 100 students.
For Ruiz, teaching folklórico is something deeply personal. She immigrated with her family from Mexico when she was 3 years old and is the oldest of 3 siblings. She grew up in Weedpatch and graduated from Arvin High School — the same school where she now teaches.
"I started dancing folklórico when I was eight years old, and folklórico really helped me as a child because I immigrated to the U.S., and I didn't speak the language. I struggled in school because I couldn't communicate with my teachers. So I feel like when my mom put me in folklórico, it was a way of me feeling like I belonged here and, like, I was welcomed," Ruiz said.
Ruiz said she decided to teach folklórico because she wanted to provide a space where students could feel proud of their heritage.
"My students, my students mean a lot to me, and I think seeing their confidence and seeing their growth throughout the year is so inspiring," Ruiz said.
Student Ruby Garcia said her dance teacher deserves the Teacher of the Year award.
"Miss Ruiz is a wonderful teacher. She is very nice. She's always there for us when we need help. If we need help on his steps, she's always there for us. She's always like, okay, let's start from this start, and then let's finish it off. She inspired me, she helped me. She made me feel more confident on stage and I'll get stage fright," Garcia said.
Arvin High School Principal Ramirez-Leyva said Ruiz has accomplished a great deal for the program in a short period of time.
"She's taking these students to a lot of different competitions. They've performed at the Historic Fox Theater. They're going down south to do competitions again this year. They've been able to push the ballet folklórico experience out to the community by performing at theater schools," Ramirez-Leyva said.
Ruiz said she is honored to be recognized for her work.
"And I feel very humbled, very blessed. I get to do what I love every day, and I think it reflects this award reflects my students and their hard work and dedication to our program," Ruiz said.
Three teachers out of the 56 honorees will be named Kern County Teachers of the Year finalists for 2026.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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