After being one of the many Filipinos at his high school, Dr. Brian Santos now stands out as the only Asian-American teacher at Francis Howell North. He teaches the Spanish language to students while also representing his culture. Santos is also the sponsor of the Asian-American Alliance club (Triple A) that has just started this school year. They help create an environment at North that makes it a welcoming place by promoting diversity and inclusion.

“Because I’m one of the only Asian-American teachers in the district, I feel that I have to teach everyone about the Philippines and just try to be a good ambassador of my culture,” Santos said. “Triple A is the celebration of cultures here at Francis Howell North. We actually haven’t had an Asian club before and I think it is really cool that we’re celebrating diversity in that sense.”

Besides being a foreign language teacher at North, Santos inspires many students, especially those who share the same cultural background as him like junior Jayden Le. Santos is a strong advocate for diversity at North and encourages students to learn more about other cultures. He believes that it’s important for students to be cognizant of diversity as everyone will come across many people from various backgrounds and cultures.

“I like that he’s honest and that you can talk to him,” Le said. “He is one in a million and you would never find a teacher like him, he’s definitely a character.” 

Despite growing up in America, Santos is a proud Filipino and hopes that people would be open to learning the immense cultural heritage of his beloved country.

“I would say that the Philippines is a beautiful culture and I hope that everyone gets to learn a little bit about it,” Santos said.