Juan Escalante, a 2015 BYU–Hawaii TESOL graduate from Sonora, Mexico, overcame the challenges of immigrating to the United States with limited English to become a first-generation college graduate and convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today, he returned to BYUH to teach at the very university that transformed his life, mentoring students from around the world.
Adrift in English
Juan Escalante was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico. At 14, his family decided to move to the United States. He arrived on the Oregon coast just days before his 15th birthday in a small town, surrounded by unfamiliar faces and a language he couldn't speak. "There weren't many resources for English learners," he says. "I had to figure out a lot of it out on my own."
He found his calling in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), compelled by a desire to give future students the guidance and support he never had. "I want to help people have a better language learning experience than the one I had," he says. "Mine was rough, and mine is not unique."
After earning his associate's degree in Oregon on scholarship, financial limitations forced him to stop. He took on whatever work he could find, including working on a fishing boat. For three years, college felt like a dream on hold.
In 2012, Escalante was introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ through his future wife and her family. He was baptized in December. Four months later, he enrolled at BYU–Hawaii. After a year apart, he and his wife were sealed at the Portland, Oregon, Temple before returning to campus together.
"My time here felt life-changing from the very beginning," he says. "Those first two years as a member of the Church, surrounded by like-minded friends from all over the world, strengthened my testimony in ways I'll always be grateful for.”
A Place Worth Coming Back To
Escalante approached BYU–Hawaii like someone who knew exactly how rare the opportunity was, because he did.
He threw himself into the TESOL program. He worked as an online EIL tutor for two years. Served as vice president of the TESOL Society. He attended the TESOL International Convention in Portland as a student and published his first academic paper before he even walked the stage.
Through it all, he kept his grades up; graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2015. "Not to brag," he laughs, "but my GPA paid for my entire time here." For someone who once couldn't afford to stay in school, that meant everything.
"Programs like work-study and scholarships make a real difference," he says. "Without that support, I'm not sure I could have finished. BYU–Hawaii creates opportunities that truly change lives."
From there, Escalante earned a master's degree in TESOL from Brigham Young University in Provo. But even as his career took shape in Provo, something kept pulling him back. "My heart never really left Laie," he says.
Back Where It Began
Then, in 2019, the call came in: there was an opening at BYU–Hawaii. He applied, and when the call came offering him the role, the answer was easy. "We lived here. We know what the school and the community are like. And we felt really good."
Juan and his wife moved back to Laie in December 2019. Both of their daughters have since been born right here in Hawaii. "I don't think there's a better place for us to raise our family," he says.
Now he teaches the subjects that once lit a fire in him as a student. "We're not just teaching subject matter. We're preparing students to return to their communities and countries and to lead. We're examples not just in the classroom, but everywhere we go."
He holds himself to a simple standard: "Am I conducting myself professionally? Am I a good husband? Am I a good father? Am I a good example of what a disciple of Christ looks like?" In a community this small, students are everywhere, not just in school. That's a responsibility I like to think I take seriously; this is the place I hope to retire from."
Advice to the Students He Once Was
When Escalante looks at the students sitting in his classes, he sees echoes of himself. His advice to them is direct:
"Make the most of it. It goes by fast. Join the club you keep thinking about. Get involved in your major. Surround yourself with people who strengthen your faith and push you to be better. People who are here are supposed to be here, not by accident.”
He's also quick to credit the faculty who shaped him, many of whom he now calls colleagues. "BYU–Hawaii prepared me exceptionally well," he says. "I wasn't the smartest person in my graduate program, but I was one of the most prepared, and that's because of what happened here, in these classrooms, with these professors. The students here are special."
