Jaime Escalante

Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutierrez was a Bolivian educator known for teaching students calculus from 1974 to 1991 at Garfield High School, East Los Angeles, California. Escalante was the subject of the 1988 film Stand and Deliver, in which he is portrayed by Edward James Olmos.

Escalante was born to two teachers of Aymara ancestry on December 31, 1930 in La Paz, Bolivia. He was proud of his Aymara heritage and as an adult would proudly proclaim The Aymara knew math before the Greeks and Egyptians. He taught mathematics and physics foryears in his mother country before emigrating to the USA. After migrating, he had to work many odd jobs, teach himself English and earn another college degree before he could return to the classroom. In 1974, he began teaching at Garfield High School. Escalante eventually changed his mind about returning to work when he foundstudents willing to take an algebra class.

Source: Wikipedia