Most educators who leave the classroom for administration talk about what they miss. The students, the lightbulb moments, the daily proof that the work matters. Cesar Evan Tiu found a way to keep all of it while taking on more, and the path that led him there began far from the principal’s office he occupies today.
Now in his eighth year as principal of Somerset Academy Lone Mountain, a K–8 charter school in Las Vegas, the 46-year-old oversees academics, operations, staff development, and the culture that holds it all together. But the title at the top of his email signature took eighteen years, two states, and a willingness to start over to earn.
Starting over in Louisiana
In 2008, Cesar left a teaching career in the Philippines and moved to Louisiana, where he began his overseas life as a special education teacher. The decision was not about ambition for its own sake. “I chose to pursue employment outside my home country to create better opportunities and a better life for my family,” he says. The move came with the quiet costs that most overseas Filipinos know well.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced when I moved abroad was adjusting to a new culture while being away from my family,” he recalls. “There were times when I felt homesick, but I stayed focused on my goals and worked hard to build a successful career.” His support, he says, came from family, friends, and fellow Filipino educators whose example pushed him to keep going.
Climbing every rung in Las Vegas
In 2010, Cesar relocated to Las Vegas, and the city became the place where both his career and his personal life took root. He continued teaching special education, then took on 7th-grade English Language Arts, became a special education facilitator, stepped up to assistant principal, and eventually principal. It was also in Las Vegas that he met his wife, Ethel, with whom he has built a family.
Few principals can say they have done nearly every job in the building they now lead. That ground-level experience shapes how he sees the role. The former special education teacher is candid about what keeps him in it. “I chose education because I believe it has the power to change lives and create opportunities for future generations,” he says.
Leading a Lighthouse school
The accomplishment he names first is not personal. It is collective. Under his leadership, Somerset Academy Lone Mountain earned Lighthouse School status, a recognition he frames as a team achievement rather than his own. “The highlight of my career has been leading our school to Lighthouse School status and seeing the positive impact our team has made on students, families, and the community,” he says.
What sustains him, he explains, is watching growth happen on both sides of the desk. “The most rewarding part of my work is seeing students achieve their goals and develop into confident leaders, while also supporting teachers and staff in reaching their full potential.”
Looking ahead, the Filipino principal hopes to keep giving back through education, supporting initiatives for students and educators in both the United States and the Philippines, and spending more time with his family. His advice to kababayans abroad is shaped by experience rather than slogans. “Stay focused on your goals, work hard, and remain resilient during difficult times,” he says. “Most importantly, stay connected with your family and remember why you made the sacrifice to work abroad in the first place.”
