Dr. Gavreel Asperillia-Zhu (they|them, he|him) is a Hard-of-Hearing, Queer, Filipino-Mexican ASL teacher in Southern California. They have been working in secondary education since 2014. However, their first teaching experience was in seventh grade in band class; as Drum Major, they oversaw their class when a substitute teacher was present. A similar experience happened in high school in their American Sign Language class. Dr. Asperillia was asked to teach the lower-level classes whenever their ASL teacher was absent. These experiences led them to become a seasoned teacher before receiving their first full-time ASL teaching position. 

As an educational leader, Dr. Asperillia values teacher and student well-being. COVID and high expectations have put tremendous stress and pressure on students and teachers. Their professional goals focus on improving education for students and teachers to improve their well-being and home/work-life balance. In addition, Dr. Asperillia works to improve school environments to become more inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of a diverse student population. 

In addition to teaching, Dr. Asperillia works with new American Sign Language teachers through mentorships, works with educational leaders to create inclusive classrooms and school environments, and gives presentations on Queer Studies and Queer Theory.