Black History Month: Calago Hipps

Calago Hipps

I am an instructional coach for the nonprofit Urban Teachers and adjunct faculty at American University’s Graduate School of Education. I grew up in Avon Park and graduated from Avon Park High School.

Growing up, I was also a member of the College Reach Out Program (CROP) at the then SFCC. CROP allowed me to see college life starting in middle school and it significantly impacted my educational journey. Upon graduating, I moved to Wisconsin to play football and attend Beloit College where I earned my B.A. in Media Studies and Performance.

I began my journey in the field of education first with the education nonprofit City Year, taking a year to give back to my home community in Orlando, Fla. My time as an Americorp member inspired me to continue down the path of education and inspired me to continue my career in education.

Also an alumnus of Urban Teachers, I have been teaching in Dallas, Texas, since 2016. Through Urban Teachers, I became a certified high school English teacher and graduated with a Master of Education from Johns Hopkins University. I spent three years at Uplift Mighty Preparatory located in Fort Worth, Texas where I was blessed to teach all the secondary English courses as well as act as a leader for the senior team and English departments.

My last year as a classroom teacher was spent working at Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School where I gained experience with a private school model that served historically excluded communities. I am a full-time doctoral student at Grand Canyon University studying higher education leadership.

Outside of my work in education, I spend my time reading, playing video games, and being the best husband and dad I can be. My career in education can be attributed to the positive role models that molded me from the moment we met. At the top of the list are my parents, as they never accepted mediocrity from me at any point in my life. I also have to thank Mrs. Barrett, Mrs. Jones, and Ms. Dozier for emphasizing the importance of education early and often. Not just as a means to “make it” but because excellence in education was what Black folks had been doing, so it was only right we continued the tradition. And lastly, Mr. Bullard will always be someone that I will admire. Being able to sit at the feet of a Black male educator has been critical in my career, and I doubt I would have made it this far without his guidance and the love and advice of those mentioned above.