Efrain Lopez

I’m a math teacher at Laredo ISD and founded the computer science program in our district.  I graduated from Texas A&M in 2012 with dual degrees - Bachelor of Arts in History and Bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering.  After college, I chose education as a career and went on to become a teacher at the district I graduated high school from.

I’m on a mission to help the community close the computer science achievement gap that faces underrepresented minorities in college and industry.  I’ve taught a range of courses that includes Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Computer Science I, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A.  I sponsor a computer science club and coach our programming team after school.

One of my priorities in the classroom is trying to help populations such as at-risk, English language learners, and special education students succeed in challenging computer science courses.  There is untapped potential in our community and I go into the classroom every day with the attitude of not giving up on any student no matter what their situation.

I am proficient with the Snap! block-based programming language and have used it extensively over the past several years while teaching AP Computer Science Principles.  I serve as a lead trainer for the Beauty and Joy of Computing program, a College Board-endorsed AP CS Principles curriculum led by UC Berkeley and NC State.

I was fortunate to have won the national Champion for Computer Science Community Impact Award presented by the Computer Science Teachers Association and Code.org last December.  I’m grateful to say that by bringing computer science to our district, many of my students have decided to pursue majors such as computer science, engineering, and information systems.

My personal hobbies include Magic: The Gathering (a card game), attending the cinema, and reading philosophy.