Tesha Castillo is 2022-2023 Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator and 8th Grade teacher leader and mentor at LEARN 6 North Chicago in Great Lakes, IL. She focuses on teaching students the art of academic discourse in order to encourage reflection, spark curiosity, and catalyze innovation. Tesha was named a Golden Apple Award Finalist and Teacher of Distinction in 2020 and was the recipient of the ISBE Teacher of the Year Award for Meritorious Service in 2022. She earned an AA in English at College of Lake County and a BA in English with a Language Arts concentration in tandem with a teaching certification in Secondary Education at University of Wisconsin-Parkside.