Jaime Escalante was born December 31, 1930 to two teachers in La Paz, Bolivia. Following in his parents footsteps, he also became a teacher and taught physics for 12 years before moving to the United States.

It was in 1974, he started teaching at Garfield High. The school’s authorization was being threatened, and Escalante decided to make his class more challenging. He decided to offer an AP Calculus class.

With some unconventional methods, he was able to get students to care about their futures and education, which led to more and more students taking the AP Calculus test and passing with flying colors.

“That’s the point. It goes like this: teaching is touching life,” said educator Jaime Escalante.

He continued to teach and inspire many students; he also received the Presidential Medal of Excellence and was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.