Juel Copeland is a San Diego, California-based military spouse, mom of five and school teacher with 17 years of classroom experience.
She is also a breast cancer survivor who with the help of her husband and family continued to work and complete an online Master's program at Western Governors University in Curriculum and Instruction while battling the disease for five months in 2023.
“Cancer is a family diagnosis,” she said. “I found a lump in my breast in February. In March, a week after one of my former students hooked [husband] Davon and I up with the opportunity to drive in President Biden’s motorcade when he was in San Diego, I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.”
Both the Copelands were taking classes at WGU at the time of Juel’s diagnosis. In March, they walked across the stage together with their Masters degrees.
“Our classes definitely took a back seat,” she said. “Davon cared for me and our family as I underwent five months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and lymph node removal, the emotional turmoil of surgery recovery, and 33 rounds of radiation.”
Copeland called herself a military dependent through and through. Both her parents were in the Army. Her stepfather and husband were in the Navy and her godfather was in the Marine Corps. Born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, Copeland spent time in Germany and at various duty stations in the United States.
“California has been my home since middle school when my mother was diagnosed with cancerous brain tumors,” she said. “In order for her to stay close to her doctors, we were given priority orders that kept us in one place.”
Copeland said she decided to become a teacher because good teachers saved her life.
“I once was a wounded individual who had her childhood stolen, but I was also skilled at hiding things from the outside world,” she said. Throughout my adolescence, no matter where I was, there was always one teacher going the extra mile to show me my worth and make me feel safe at school, which is something I did not feel anywhere else. I moved around a lot because my parents were in the military. It is difficult to be the new kid, even more so to be biracial with a mother who thinks she does not speak English well and does not feel welcome in the American school system. All of these facets have cemented my why. Teaching is not a job; it is a personal responsibility.”
Juel Copeland, now a dean at Elevate K-8 Public Charter School, graduated from California State University San Marcos with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2004 and completed her teaching credential in the spring of 2005. She said juggling her role as a military spouse, mom and teacher was hard.
“Once I became pregnant with our first child, I, thankfully, worked at a school that allowed me to drop down to part-time. I was a classroom teacher for 17 years - 10 of those were part-time,” she said. “My social media hashtag was #parttimeteacherfulltimemom. Three days a week I was at school - all in, teaching, running clubs, events - you name it. The other two days a week I dedicated to actively spending time with our kids and volunteering. I refused to even do laundry during my weekdays at home- that wasn’t why I was working part-time. I was part-time so I could mom more.”
While Davon was on active duty, the family was mission-focused and created its own traditions.
“For example, before his deployments, I would surprise him with every holiday he was going to miss,” she said. “One day he would come home and it’d be Halloween, we would even get our neighbors to trick or treat. Another day, he’d come home to Thanksgiving with friends and family. Another day, it would be Christmas - full on tree, stockings and gifts for the kids. One year, our neighbor even dressed up as Santa Claus.”
Juel Copeland has won over $10,000 in grants for her classroom and was named the San Diego Teach for America award winner for Innovation and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She was also awarded the Excellence Award by WGU for tasks in Designing Curriculum and Instruction.
“If I had a message to those undergoing cancer treatment now, cancer is a long war with many battles along the way,” she said. “You have to have a positive relationship with your treatment. Celebrate each battle and realize that just because you don’t feel strong or brave every minute doesn’t mean that you aren’t.
Lastly, treatment doesn’t just end. I am considered breast cancer-free now. I am still taking medication and will continue for the next 10 years. But I am here - still a wife, still a mom, and still working with incredible students every day.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.