Jaime Escalante's voice, brimming with emotion and marked by a distinctive Spanish accent, echoed throughout the crowd of 800 in Smith Hall's auditorium Tuesday night during his lecture, " Ganas: creating the desire to learn".

Escalante, a 1999 inductee of the Teacher's Hall of Fame and the subject of the movie "Stand and Deliver", recounted his experiences as a high school math teacher whose underprivileged students set standards rivaled by few in American education.

Luis Martinez, junior in LAS, is the first in his family to become a U.S. citizen and attend college. He said people like Escalante inspired him to be a role model.

"Everything basically falls on my shoulders," Martinez said. "I try to be a good role model — especially to my younger siblings."

The lecture, part of the Brown v Board initiative, was co-sponsored by the University's Illini Union Board's Latino Programs Comittee, and various other academic, administrative, and student organizations.

Escalante, with a black hat pulled over his forehead and oversized glasses magnifying defiant brown eyes, leaned over the podium and declared, "everything and anything is possible."

"Some people believe that Hispanic students are not as smart as others," Escalante said. " I have found that to be completely false."

Escalante emphasized the importance of not giving up on students, and told the story of one student who attempted to drop Escalante's class in vain.

"I refused to sign the slip. He told me, 'I hate you, why aren't you signing it,' and I told him, 'because I hate you too.' You have to stay in class and prove to me you're stupid."

Escalante said it was his sense of humor and innovative teaching methods — he taught his students fractions by bringing apples and a knife to class saying, "If you dont get this one, you're going to be beheaded."

Escalante's lecture also focused on the need for parents to actively particpate in their kids' education.

"When we choose to become parents we accept another human being as part of ourselves," he said he told parents. "These kids belong to you, not the streets, and you are going to have to help me out."

Eric Lugo, chair of the Latino Programs Commitee, and one of the event's masters of ceremonies, said Escalante's visit to the University was very significant.

" Escalante shows us that the only way to provide other Latinos with opportunities is to be proactive and take steps to make it happen,"Lugo said.

Some students said that Escalante's lecture was important because he transcended cultural lines and inspired people of all races.

"Future educators really need to look at the way he (Escalante) got students who were considered underachievers to learn, " said Jennifer Jackson, a junior in FAA. " He is an example for all teachers."