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Mirelle Rivera, MEd (BSEd ‘14) is an award-winning civics educator and instructional leader at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, where she was recently honored with the Jack Miller Center’s 2026 K–12 Teaching Excellence Award. Her journey from Loyola University Chicago to the classroom has been guided by one principle: ensuring that students are always at the center of everything she does. 

Finding her path 

When Mirelle first arrived at Loyola, becoming a teacher was not part of her plan. A native of Chicago’s Far Southeast Side, she initially planned to pursue a career in medicine. But while she struggled in her science courses, she found herself thriving in history and social sciences. She also recognized something that had been present throughout her life: a desire to help others. 

Her mother helped her see a possible path forward. 

“She’s like, ‘Well, I’ve always envisioned you as a teacher. You used to tutor people when you were young, and you’ve always liked helping people,’” Rivera recalls. 

A course with Loyola history professor Robert Bucholz helped solidify the idea. Watching him teach a large class with enthusiasm and passion, she began to imagine herself doing the same. 

“I remember sitting in Dr. Bucholz’s class and seeing how passionate he was about teaching,” Rivera says. “Even in a room of 50 or 60 people, I thought, ‘This guy is good. Maybe I could be him.’” 

That realization led her to transfer to Loyola’s School of Education. 

“Loyola set the foundation for ensuring that at the root of my teaching is the student,” Rivera says. “It taught me to constantly ask: How can I make this more engaging? How can curriculum reflect lived experiences? That student-first mindset is something I have carried into every classroom I’ve led.”

Returning home 

After graduating from Loyola, Rivera returned to George Washington High School, where she had once been a student, first as a student teacher and then as a teacher. 

“I think it was very pivotal in shaping my teaching experience, going back to the community that I came from and giving back to the students in that community and students who looked like me,” she says. 

Recognizing the diverse learning needs across her classes, Rivera pursued a master’s degree from National Louis University in English as a second language and special education. That knowledge allowed her to support every learner holistically. 

“I felt like my role there at GW wasn’t just a teacher; sometimes I was a social worker. Sometimes I was a mom, a sister with an open ear for students to talk to,” she says. “It furthered my passion for ensuring that my students were always at the center of everything that I did.” 

Putting her philosophy into practice 

Today, Rivera brings that same philosophy to Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, where she teaches AP U.S. Government and AP African American Studies and mentors students pursuing interdisciplinary projects in the Payton Advanced Studies Cohort. She also serves as a Chicago Teachers Union delegate, a member of the Local School Council, and coaches future National Board candidates across Chicago Public Schools. 

In her classroom, learning about government is not limited to memorizing institutions, policies, or constitutional principles. She encourages students to connect historical documents and ideas to the world around them while also learning how to listen to perspectives different from their own. 

“The capacity to listen to others is becoming more challenging. And so being able to hold space for conversations and for different perspectives, I think is one of the most rewarding things, and for students too,” she says. 

That approach was recently recognized when Rivera received the Jack Miller Center’s 2026 K–12 Teaching Excellence Award. The annual award recognizes educators who engage students in the story of America through primary documents, new courses, and extracurricular activities. Rivera was recognized for her work helping students engage deeply with foundational American principles, including the Declaration of Independence and questions surrounding constitutional government. 

Advice for future educators 

After more than a decade in education, Rivera views teaching not as a destination but as a continuous process of growth. For current Loyola School of Education students preparing to step into classrooms of their own, she offers this advice: 

“Teaching is a lifelong process, just like learning is, and each day you have the opportunity to learn about yourself as an individual, learn from students, and reflect on that. Sometimes teaching is a hard job, sometimes it’s a thankless job, but there are students who value you and appreciate you on a daily basis, even though they might not say it. But the work that you are about to engage in is a service to the community and can change the outcomes for hundreds of kids, so I think there’s value in what you’re doing. Don’t give up. It gets better.”