Who is Michael Cervantes?

Michael Anthony Cervantes has committed himself to serving our community and assisting those who seek his help with integrity. His efforts have been recognized and endorsed by Marquis Who’s Who as a leader in elementary education and community service. In the Veterans Coalition, he has served as a member, then as Director and Vice President, and now as President of our organization.

Michael has had a distinguished career in elementary education spanning nearly four decades, beginning in 1976 with the El Rancho Unified School District in Pico Rivera. Over the years, he has taught every grade from kindergarten through fifth grade. He also taught Spanish as a second language to gifted and talented students and participated in the district’s 1990 strategic task force. Prior to that, from 1972 to 1976, he was a bilingual teacher at Valle Lindo School District in South El Monte, teaching third and fifth grades. His career also includes work with the Teachers Union, especially with the El Rancho Federation of Teachers Local 3467, where he served as a union representative and later as Vice President, taking part in negotiations and committees that supported teachers.

Mr. Cervantes established five scholarships through the California State University, Los Angeles Alumni Association from 1996 to 2024: the New World Scholarship, the Renaissance Man/Woman Scholarship, the Leader Scholarship, the Community Service Scholarship, and the María Dolores Memorial Scholarship, each aimed at enhancing the lives of recipients. Additionally, he founded the New World Essay Scholarship at San Gabriel Mission High School in 2015, focusing on spirituality or literature. Showing strong leadership both professionally and in his local community, he served as the union chair of the Modified Day Committee in 2000. From 1995 to 2021, he was the official photographer for the Mission Fiesta. He wrote numerous articles for the San Gabriel Mission Souvenir program and published the El Rancho Federation Teachers Unity Newsletter from 1990 to 1994. More recently, Michael became the editor of the San Gabriel Historical Association’s quarterly newsletter. He actively volunteers at his parish, San Gabriel Mission Catholic Church, serving as an Eucharistic Minister.

Michael’s academic journey is just as impressive as his professional one. He graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1971. He then earned two Master’s degrees: one in education in 1978 and another in Chicano studies in 1985. His advanced certifications further demonstrate his academic excellence as an elementary school teacher and bilingual specialist in the state of California.

In 2019, he received the San Gabriel Mission High School Alumni Recognition Award and the Chicano/Latino Department Spring Newsletter Recognition Award for his achievements. As a notable Marquis list member, Mr. Cervantes has been featured in Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in the West, and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to his profession and the community, Marquis Who’s Who Michael has been showcased on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime
Achievement website.