Committed to Tacoma: Master of Arts in Teaching Graduate Rocio Guevara Perez ’23, MAT’26

Alumni, Community, Students

When Rocio Guevara Perez ’23, MAT’26 walked through the doors of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, it was a full circle moment. After leaving Lincoln as a high school graduate seven years earlier, she was now returning as a student teacher, completing her internship as part of the University of Puget Sound’s Master of Arts in Teaching program. For Guevara Perez, it was both a homecoming and a chance to help students like her succeed.

“I deeply care about where I grew up and the people there and that is why I wanted to be teaching here,” Guevara Perez said. “Some people think if you are lower income, you get mobility and you get out, but that’s not how I see it. I want to give back to my community.”

Growing up in Tacoma’s Eastside, Guevara Perez was inspired to pursue a career in education by teachers who saw her potential. Now, she hopes to do the same thing for the next generation, using the skills she’s gained in Puget Sound’s School of Education, plus her own lived experience to relate to students on their level.

“I’ve had some really great teachers in my life. I would not be where I am without them. I want to be that for another kid,” she said.

Rocio Guevara Perez ’23, MAT’26 grew up in Tacoma and plans to teach in a school on the Eastside.

In middle school, Guevara Perez attended Puget Sound’s Summer Academic Challenge program, giving her a first taste of a college environment. When it came time to choose a university to attend, the choice was obvious. Guevara enrolled at Puget Sound and earned a bachelor’s degree in history with minors in education studies and ancient Greek, Latin, & Mediterranean studies in 2023.

After graduation, she stayed in Tacoma, working in an AmeriCorps role as a college and career advisor through the College Success Foundation. While she found the work fulfilling, she soon realized that she wanted to spend more time interacting directly with students.

“I went into the role with the purpose of figuring out how deep I wanted to be in the education profession, and I realized that being an educator on the periphery of school life wasn't enough for me — my place is in the classroom,” Guevara Perez said.

So, she returned to Puget Sound — this time as a graduate student in the university’s highly regarded School of Education — to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching. She entered the program with the clear goal of teaching in the community where she grew up and from the start, her professors saw her as a leader among her peers.

“As someone who grew up on the Eastside of Tacoma and now teaches there, Rocio brings personal understanding, cultural connection and a deep-rooted commitment to her students,” said Dr. Carrie Cifka-Herrera, an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education. “Because she is a part of the community and an alum of Lincoln High School, she recognizes and values the strengths, lived experiences, and cultural knowledge her students already carry with them. She sees their assets and potential, not just the challenges they face. That connection helps her understand the hopes and realities of her students in ways others might miss. She isn’t just teaching in her community — she’s teaching alongside it and advocating for it every day.”

Master of Arts in Teaching graduates at Commencement 2026.

Rocio Guevara Perez ’23, MAT’26 (front row, sixth from left) alongside her cohort of MAT graduates. She is wearing a white stole signed by her students at Lincoln High School.

Now that she’s completed her master’s degree, Guevara Perez is excited to find her place in the classroom and continue to give back to Tacoma.

“Coming back to Puget Sound to get the support I needed to grow as an educator and access more opportunities was the right choice, and I'm so ready to be ‘Ms. Guevara’ to my students for years to come!”

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