At 7 a.m. every school day, the doors at Benito Juarez Community Academy open to house music.
Principal Juan Carlos Ocón is the one holding the boom box. He greets students at the entrance, switching from house to whatever they want to hear, and he has made that morning ritual part of the Pilsen High School’s identity.
“The campus, in many ways, has taken on my personality,” he said. “It’s such an incredible feeling to know that there is a Latino flavor, a Latino twist to this campus.”
For Hispanic Heritage and Principal Appreciation Month, we’re spotlighting school leaders like Principal Ocón, not because culture and identity belong to one month, but because at Juarez, they live in the halls, the curriculum, and the community every day.
“I am a reflection of them”
Principal Juan Carlos Ocón of Benito Juarez Community Academy. Photo courtesy of Chicago Public Schools.
Born in Durango, Mexico, Principal Ocón has spent 30 years in Chicago Public Schools, 25 of them at Juarez. He served as an assistant principal there for three years before becoming principal 19 years ago.
About 95% of Juarez students are Hispanic or Latinx, most of them Mexican American. In recent years, the school has welcomed a growing number of students from Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries.
“Students know that their culture, their language, their identity is appreciated here,” Ocón said. “I’m very proud that their principal is who they are. I am a reflection of them, and they are a reflection of me.”
He sees leading an immigrant-serving school as his calling. “I am an immigrant. I come from immigrants,” he said. “But I also know the talent that I bring to this position, and I know the talent that my students bring every single day. The only way that flourishes is if I create the space and the conditions for our identities, our culture, and our language to rise to that potential.”
Familia, not just community
In the 2026 5Essentials data, Juarez rated “Strong” across all five essentials — improving on 32 of 39 measures — including a 15-point gain in innovation, with strong ratings in collective responsibility, student peer relationships, reflective dialogue, and instructional leadership.
Principal Ocón credits one idea: familia.
“It’s much more than community,” he said. “When you apply the concept of family to a school community, that means we take care of each other. Through thick and thin, we are there for each other.”
That includes staff members dedicated full-time to parent programming, a student ambassador program, and a student council that shapes school services, as well as a staff who can each name the role they played in the school’s progress.
“It really means that we truly place the students at the center of our work.”
A legacy school
After nearly two decades as principal, Ocón now greets freshmen whose parents, aunts, and uncles graduated under his leadership.
“This year alone, I’ve had several freshmen introduce themselves to me and remind me that I was the principal when mom or dad graduated from here,” he said. “That speaks to consistency, longevity, stability. Families need that. Students need that. Staff need that.”
As Juarez approaches its 50th anniversary, the school has more to celebrate:
- College enrollment: In a recent Stanford University study of roughly 700 Illinois high schools, Juarez rose from No. 531 to No. 26 in college enrollment.
- College persistence: Juarez now ranks 15th among Chicago’s roughly 150 high schools.
- Top 50: Chicago magazine ranked Juarez No. 28 on its latest list of top schools.
- Debt-free college: Juarez is part of Hope Chicago’s sixth cohort, meaning every graduating senior this year will receive a debt-free postsecondary education.
The number principal Ocón is proudest of is the 200+ Juarez parents who are currently enrolled in college.
“There is still a belief out there that parents of Latino students don’t care about education or post-secondary hopes and dreams,” he said. “These are parents pursuing their post-secondary dreams.” The school plans to bring those parents to campus this month to celebrate them.
Heritage, all month and all year
Hispanic Heritage Month at Juarez is full. The school’s mariachi and folklórico groups perform in the Little Village and Pilsen 18th Street Independence Day parades and at El Grito de Dolores in Pilsen. Student groups perform during lunch periods, the Mexican national anthem is played during morning kickoffs, and the school’s heritage assembly, once centered on Mexico, now celebrates the many countries its students call home.
Principal Ocón’s message to school leaders across the city extends beyond one month.
“Every community is rich with history, culture, and language,” he said. “Our job is to embrace the many cultures in our building and celebrate them, because they make us better as a school and as leaders. They make us stronger as a district, stronger as a city.”
Juan Carlos Ocón is the principal at Benito Juarez Community Academy, where he has served for 25 years. Join us in celebrating Principal Appreciation Month and spotlighting how our school leaders power possibilities for young people every day.