3. As a lifelong learner…
In elementary school, I thought I would be a veterinarian or an
archaeologist. I was a bookworm and a class spelling bee nerd.
In junior high, I was a peer counselor and played outfield on our school
softball team. In high school, I started taking honors classes in Miami. My
junior year, I enrolled in Anchorage’s oldest high school and got involved in
theater. In addition, I worked as a gardener at my mom’s bank for three
summers.
I applied to three liberal arts colleges and got into two; I was seventeen
when I came to the University of Denver.
At DU, I lost an election for undergraduate study body president, but also
interned in D.C. and with The Denver Post and Amoco Corp (public
relations). I taught Spanish part-time at Gilpin Grammar School and joined
a sorority too.
I first started translating (English/Spanish) as a VISTA with the CO Coalition
for the Homeless and Stout St. Clinic upon graduation.
4. An educational leader is…
One who takes a stand to make the
integration of excellence and ethics a
priority, uses her voice to represent those
of her learning community with integrity
and courage--and takes personal
responsibility for continuous
development.
5. I believe it takes a diverse group of
individuals to steer a steady course!
6. Since settling down in Colorado…
I lost two students (both teen boys just shy of driving age) in violent
circumstances that cost them their lives--one lived in Littleton and
the other in Park Hill. Having absorbed such experiences to further
guide me, I now seek to make deliberate decisions that take into
account students’ daily realities.
I enjoy connecting my formal schooling to the work I do as a
servant leader, mentor, and problem solver.
I advocate for better health care, education, housing, and
environmental causes—at the state and local level.
As I look ahead, my goal is to work in a learning community that is
focused on what it can be—and who we will be.
7. What I will do professionally as a result…seed, water, grow!
Cultivate community beliefs to improve learning experiences.
Maximize teachers’ talents to improve the future of our profession as a whole.
Guide learners so they may find life’s challenges less daunting.
8. Final Thoughts:
As servant leaders, school administrators must
build up teachers' capacity to instruct
effectively and lead students ethically (which is
what I believe equity is all about).
Leading for equity means one has to work with
the entire school community (district
administrators, teachers, students, families,
and neighbors) to ensure that all views are
heard, understood, and acted upon.
