100,000 Miles of Courage: How One Educator Inspires Students to Dream Bigger

For Hazelwood North Middle School Assistant Principal Juanita Shaw, travel is more than an adventure—it’s a lesson in courage, history, geography, and perseverance. For Juanita Shaw, the road extends the classroom.

The seventh-grade assistant principal at Hazelwood North Middle School has made it her mission to explore the country by motorcycle, visiting states, historic sites, universities, and communities along the way. Her goal of experiencing all 50 states has transformed her passion for travel into something even more meaningful: an opportunity to learn—and to inspire her students to become lifelong learners themselves.

After just nine years of riding motorcycles, she is now only about 600 miles away from reaching an extraordinary milestone: 100,000 miles.

But when she talks about those miles, the numbers are only part of the story.

Her journeys have taken her across the United States and into Canada, including Saskatchewan, Alberta, Jasper, and Lake Louise. Yet her greatest destination may be the inspiration she brings back to her students. “My students love it,” she says, recalling how students would eagerly await her return from a trip, ready to hear another story or see another photograph. She would put together presentations showcasing her adventures, giving students a glimpse of places and experiences they might never have encountered otherwise.

And her message was simple: “Well, you can grow up, and you can do that.”

Shaw's love of exploration began with her family. She credits her father for her fascination with maps and her brother for introducing her to motorcycle riding. Over the years, those interests have taken her across the country, and she returns with a powerful message for her students. “I always tell my students, never give up on yourself.”

That message became especially personal after Shaw experienced a serious motorcycle accident while traveling through the Kansas City area. After weeks of recovery, she refused to let the experience end her adventures. She purchased another motorcycle, rebuilt her confidence, and eventually returned to the road.

For Shaw, the journey back was about more than riding. It was about showing young people what resilience looks like. “If you get knocked down, you just get back up, and you go right back at it.”

Shaw sees travel as a powerful educational tool. Her journeys let her experience geography, history, and culture firsthand rather than simply read about them.

During her recent travels along the East Coast, Shaw visited universities connected to the founding of the Divine Nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations. She photographed and documented the campuses, sharing her experiences so that others could see these important locations through her eyes. “I wanted them to be able to see it—even if it’s just through my eyes.”

Her travels have also taken her to Alaska and across Canada, while her adventures have brought her into contact with people and communities willing to help along the way. During one trip through New Jersey, a motorcycle club helped Shaw weather a storm, providing her with a place to stay, food and assistance with her motorcycle.

Those encounters reinforce another lesson she can share with students: the world is full of people, places and experiences that can teach us something new.

The approaching 100,000-mile milestone is another reminder of how much she values goals.

Harley-Davidson riders recognize mileage milestones with patches. At 100,000 miles, she will earn another patch—and then she already has her eyes on the next goal: 125,000 miles.

For her, the milestone represents more than an impressive number on an odometer. “It’s just about getting goals.”

And she is not finished exploring. Her future travel plans include returning to national parks, discovering more of Canada and visiting places she has yet to experience. She says Canada has been particularly memorable, especially the landscapes of Saskatchewan and Alberta, Jasper and Lake Louise.

But when asked whether she has a single favorite place—somewhere so extraordinary that she had trouble leaving—she offers a telling answer. She has not found one yet. “There are simply too many places left to see,” Shaw shares with a huge smile.

Shaw's journey into education is itself a story of perseverance. She began her career as a facility assistant, became a mentor and coach, returned to college, became a teacher, served as an instructional coach, earned District Teacher of the Year honors, and ultimately became an administrator. “When something is for you, it’s for you.”

Today, Shaw brings that same determination to North Middle. Her travels demonstrate to students that learning doesn't have to be confined to four walls—and that setbacks don't have to define their futures.

Whether she is standing on a historic university campus, navigating an unfamiliar highway, or encouraging a student to keep moving forward, Shaw teaches the same lesson: Be curious. Be courageous. Keep exploring. And never give up on yourself!