Rosa Guerrero

El Paso High School, Class of 1953

Rosa Guerrero was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Mexican immigrants. At a young age, she discovered her love for dance, beginning formal training at just five years old. She attended Morehead Elementary, where by third grade she had already decided she wanted to become an educator.

A proud graduate of El Paso High School, Class of 1953, Rosa went on to attend the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) on a dance scholarship. She became the first in her family to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, majoring in education and bilingual education.

Her teaching career with the El Paso Independent School District spanned nearly twenty years, with most of her service at Austin High School. In 1970, she founded the International Folklorico Dance Group, El Paso’s first ballet folklorico ensemble. Her groundbreaking film

Tapestry (1974) celebrated cultural diversity through dance, earning the Cine Golden Eagle Award and recognition at the New York Film Festival.

Guerrero and her dance troupe went on to perform nationwide, appearing on Good Morning America and at the Kennedy Center. She became known as a passionate lecturer and performer, blending history and dance to share the beauty of multicultural traditions. She described her vision of America not as a 'melting pot,' but as a 'multicultural tapestry, a mosaic.'

Her contributions to education and the arts have been recognized with numerous honors. In 1993, she became the first living educator and the first Hispanic woman in El Paso to have a school named after her. She was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994, as well as the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame, and received the prestigious Ohtli Award from Mexico for her lifelong dedication to culture and community.

Rosa was honored as an EPHS Outstanding Ex in 1975 and UTEP Distinguished Alumni in 1997

Rosa Guerrero retired in 2015, leaving behind a lasting legacy as an educator, folklorist, and cultural ambassador whose life’s work has celebrated diversity and enriched countless lives.