Christine Velasquez

Cornelius Elementary
Houston Independent School District

Christine is a native of Pearland, Texas and began her teaching career in 2016 in the Houston Independent School District as a Teach for America Fellow.  She graduated from the University of Texas in San Antonio with a business marketing degree. Since then, she has dedicated seven years to teaching elementary mathematics, focusing on third through fifth grade. She recently earned her master’s degree in PK-12 Educational Leadership from Texas A&M University, with a focus on supporting English Learners.

She enjoys motivating and engaging her students, helping them reach their goals, and fostering a love for learning math. Christine uses real-world applications to introduce the importance of math and math concepts, including a project where she guides students through creating a plan for their future where they choose a career and plan out their future life with the salary they will earn. Through this exercise they learn financial literacy, budgeting and build their math vocabulary. Her devotion to improving academic performance and teaching methods by incorporating real world examples has paid off – 93% of her students passed the Math STAAR test last year.

Christine is dedicated to nurturing student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities. She serves as the co-advisor for the Cornelius Student Council Club, where she helps students become leaders on campus.

Her hard work and dedication have garnered her several recognitions, including Beginning Teacher of the Year, HISD Teacher of the Month, HISD Career Pathways Bright Spot Award, Administrator of the Month and the Educator of the Year award at her campus for the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, she was selected to be part of the Teacher Leader Academy for HISD and serves as a fourth-grade math Teacher Writer. Christine works closely with the Curriculum Design Team which allows her to contribute to the development of 4th-grade math content to share with all 160 HISD elementary schools. She is honored to be able to make a district-wide impact through curriculum development and support her fellow educators.