Humans of NAU: Bobby Macias

The historian Henry Adams once said, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ” That’s why, in celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week, we reached out to College of Education lecturer Bobby Macias with some questions. A third-generation Flagstaffian and first-generation college graduate, Macias has earned praise from colleagues for treating students like collaborators in the classroom. Macias’ unique approach earned him the distinction of 2025 College of Education (COE) Teacher of the Year. Read on to find out how Macias fell in love with teaching, what advice he’d give to future educators and what he does on a day off.   Where are you from and what was your upbringing like? I was born and raised here in Flagstaff, and my family is third-generation here in the city. My upbringing was full of happiness and family surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents who all taught us our cultural traditions and roots from our heritage. When did you first decide to become a teacher? I was working at Kinsey Elementary school as an NAU tutor, and I was so inspired by the teachers there who worked so magically with their students. I remember saying
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