José Espinal

Assistant Principal at South Garner High School in Raleigh

Education:
Bachelor of Fine Arts, UNC Charlotte (2004)

Master’s in School Administration, UNC Chapel Hill (2014)

Hometown: Shelby, N.C.

When José Espinal was an art student at UNC Charlotte, he took Frances Hawthorne’s Art and Activism course and later joined her for a time teaching in the Mecklenburg County Jail system.

“I volunteered to teach inmates how to draw. It really opened up a door for me to fall in love with teaching,” he told Association Professor of Art History Jim Frakes in an interview.

After graduating, José began his teaching career at West Charlotte High School, where his leadership earned him a 2005 New Teacher of the Year nomination. He is now the Assistant Principal at South Garner High School in Raleigh.

The son of immigrants from Nicaragua, José was taught to value education and to work hard for a better future — not just for himself, but for the communities he serves. He studied at UNC Charlotte on a full scholarship and told Frakes he “was constantly challenged to expand my horizons and explore new avenues of artistic expression.”

“As an educator now, I carry with me the lessons and values instilled in me by UNC Charlotte’s art programs. I strive to impart not only technical expertise but also a passion for creativity, a commitment to excellence, and a belief in the transformative power of art.”

For the Generations exhibition in celebration of the Department of Art & Art History, José revisited his time at UNC Charlotte with a comic book-style drawing of an alien, a subject that often appeared in his student work.