Meet another member of our community in the second installment of Faces of Kearny: Hispanic Heritage Month.
By Marisol Joven
Milagros Gonzalez’s story is one of heritage, music, education, and community, a story that reflects the heart of Hispanic Heritage Month in Kearny.
Milagros is a music educator, director, choreographer, and performer who has been teaching music at Kearny High School since 2015. She teaches chorus, directs musicals, and leads the K-Birds, Kearny High School’s singing group. Her dedication to her students and the arts was recognized when she was named Kearny High School Teacher of the Year for 2021–2022.
But beyond the titles and accomplishments is a woman deeply connected to her Puerto Rican heritage and to the community she has come to call home.
A proud first-generation Puerto Rican-American, Milagros describes her heritage as “the cornerstone of who I am”, her heartbeat, her drive, and her daily inspiration.
Her connection to Kearny began almost unexpectedly. Fresh out of college, Milagros was teaching elementary general music in Garfield when a trusted college professor told her about an opening at Kearny High School. She did not know much about Kearny at the time, but after applying and walking through the school’s doors, something clicked. She fell in love with the community.
Today, Kearny is more than the place where she works. It has become her “home away from home,” a place where she can shape young minds, make music, and create meaningful connections.
Milagros brings her Puerto Rican heritage into everything she does. As an educator, she sees her culture not simply as part of her identity, but as one of her greatest strengths. Fluent in Spanish, she is able to connect with multilingual students and newcomers in a way that goes beyond language. Shared experiences, family values, and an understanding of what it means to navigate different cultures help her create meaningful connections in the classroom.
Her parents came to the United States from Puerto Rico with a mission to build a better life for their family. They passed down a strong work ethic and discipline to their children, along with a belief that education is something no one can ever take away. That lesson continues to guide Milagros today.
But her cultural contribution to Kearny reaches far beyond the classroom. Music and dance have become her way of keeping tradition alive. As the frontwoman of salsa band Son Mundo and a performer with Legacy Dance Company, she celebrates her heritage through rhythm, movement, and performance.
Through workshops in the Kearny School District and local events, she shares those traditions with children and families, giving the next generation an opportunity to experience the joy and richness of Hispanic culture.
For Milagros, Hispanic heritage is something meant to be lived, shared, and passed forward. She speaks with great admiration for Kearny’s Hispanic community, particularly its resilience, generosity, pride, and work ethic. She believes Hispanic families are an essential part of the town’s everyday life and hopes future generations will continue to carry that same sense of unity and care for one another.
Her message to Kearny’s young people is especially powerful: never feel that you have to erase where you come from in order to belong.“Our diverse stories, music, language, and traditions are invaluable gifts,” she says.
That may be the greatest lesson of Hispanic Heritage Month, not simply looking back at where we came from, but understanding how our roots shape the communities we are building today.
Through her classroom, her music, her dancing, and her commitment to Kearny, Milagros Gonzalez is helping ensure that those roots remain strong and that the vibrant rhythm of Hispanic culture continues to shine throughout Kearny for generations to come.
Marisol Joven is a longtime Kearny resident, freelance writer, community advocate, and one half of the Mari Twins, with family roots in Spain and Ecuador.
