Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Mr. O’Higgins knew he wanted to be a teacher. He enjoys interacting with children and helping them understand real-time concepts that are applicable to their daily life. As a proud alumnus of Teach for America, Mr. O’Higgins was relocated to Baton Rouge where Lanier Elementary School chose him to lead the Kindergarten class during the rebranding of the school. He has been at Lanier Elementary for three years and currently teaches 2nd grade.His priority is to create a space of thoughtful and defined collaboration where every point of view is valued. He wants to make sure that his students know that they are receiving the best education possible, regardless of their background. As a teacher, he values others based on their compassion-- he truly cares about his students and no matter what it is, he said, “I’ve always got their back, even on their worst days.”One of his favorite memories at Lanier is when he was able to help students understand the value of giving others their personal space and to treat everyone with respect. He believes that if we continue to nurture every student to respect one another and repeat, each student will understand and will follow. In his 5 year plan, he would like to be a counselor for a school.