Cafecito Caliente and Title Sponsor Lake Trust Credit Union are proud to recognize Carlos Araoz for our 2026 Cafecito Caliente Educator of the Year Award. Carlos is a Multilingual Leaner Teacher at Cumberland Elementary School in the Lansing School District.
This award recognizes a teacher or education professional who demonstrates excellence, innovation, and exceptional commitment to their students and the profession, often serving as an ambassador and advocate for educational issues.
Lake Trust Credit Union takes pride in making Michigan a better place to live, work, and enjoy financial wellbeing. They also care deeply about the people of our state. The Lake Trust team and the Lake Trust Foundation give back through regular volunteer events and transformative community grants, donations, and academic scholarships.
- Carlos was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan.
- He’s extremely proud of representing his hometown as well as his Latino heritage and Cuban roots. Both his father and mother were born in Cuba. His father emigrated to Michigan in 1966 from Sancti Spiritus, and his mother’s side moved to Lansing in 1968 from Havana. General Motors was a key factor in bringing his family to the Capital City. His grandfather, Francisco, worked there for 25 years!
- He’s an alumnus of both Lansing Eastern High School and Michigan State University. Go Green!
- He began working as an ESL instructor in 2009, for the Mid-Michigan Migrant Education Program, teaching children throughout several districts across central and western Michigan. Helping students acquire the English language, boosting their academic achievement, advocating for them and empowering their relatives, and supporting the overall development of his students in an inclusive, welcoming classroom where they feel valued encapsulates his unwavering life’s mission. Pouring back into the Lansing community provides him with a tremendous amount of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
- He’s been educating multilingual learners in the Lansing Public School District since 2014, teaching at Sheridan Road for several years before shifting over to Cumberland Elementary in the winter of 2022. He is appreciative of the rich history Lansing and our schools have of being a safe haven for refugees and English language learners.
- He’s grateful for the sacrifices his family members have made in the past to put him in a position to make a difference in the lives of Lansing’s youth! His father, Reniero, was a respected school administrator and Latino trailblazer for decades here in Lansing. His mother, Blanca’s leadership, caring nature, grit, and selflessness motivated him to pursue a career where he can serve others. He appreciates their countless sacrifices and has long admired their perseverance.
- He’d also like to acknowledge and express deep gratitude to his tios, tias, cousins, three children, two sisters, and his late grandparents, Pancho and Mirta Llinas, who both inspired him with their strong work ethic, fortitude, and resilience. He is fluent in Spanish because of them! Their kindness, generosity, and love were incredible and like many Latino core units adjusting to life in a new country, set the foundation for the rest of their family members to be able to reach their goals and chase down their dreams.
- In his free time, he enjoys adventuring outdoors (especially along the beautiful beaches of Michigan’s Great Lakes) with his niece, nephew, and kids, swimming, searching for Petoskey stones Up North, hanging out with his best friend Aaron, reading anything pertaining to animals and super heroes, viewing movies, riding bikes, playing board games or dominoes, and watching his favorite teams – the Spartans, Lions, Pistons, and Tigers!
*A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Benavides and the Cafecito Caliente group! I am extremely grateful for this accolade.
*I wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of my:
Mentors – Katy Rios, Sally Spedoske, Vicki Macsay, Michelle Foster
School principals and key administrators – Jessica Benavides, Sergio Keck, Trisha Dowell, Heather Hoisington, Ariel Rodriguez-Pena, Robert Ranney, Nicole Namy, Marc Briggs, Martha Rusesky, AmySue Hopkins
Co-educators – Philomena Pesambili, Janet Mort, Abdul Samad Sakhra
Tickets: https://cafecitocaliente.com/…/2026-cafecito-caliente…/
Sponsorship: https://cafecitocaliente.com/…/gold-benefits-package-1000/
Sponsorship: https://cafecitocaliente.com/…/partners-sponsorship…/
