This is heart work... 

My passion for education began early in life. Both of my parents were teachers and administrators, and a love of learning and reverence for education and educators was instilled in me. Although my parents were employed, there were teacher strikes and summers without pay, and we sometimes struggled financially.  Through this adversity, my parents continued their education.  I saw the impact it had, not only on their professional growth, but on how we lived. We moved from surviving to thriving. This ingrained in me, that education was transformative and could change the trajectory of lives.

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When I began my career in education, I found myself looking for ways to create equity in underserved communities. I lost many students to gun violence and knew it was my duty to do all that I could to reduce such losses in the future. As a teacher, I approached this work in many ways. I conducted home visits, chaired committees, began after school clubs, and facilitated tutoring programs.  Witnessing the impact of these efforts led me to utilize my collaborative abilities and network with coworkers, community organizations, and parents, to expand the reach to students outside my classroom. My desire to create equity for all students led me to grant writing and program design, moving from micro to macro thinking. I was able to secure 1.4 million dollars for a service-intensive program that addressed the academic and social needs of African-American and Latin X students and their caregivers, raising reading scores of 100% of program participants. I was able to improve climate and culture at a CPS high school, reducing serious disciplinary infractions by over 70%, through grant writing and programming that targeted specific, impactful data points. I learned that by relentlessly reviewing and analyzing data, and employing research-based interventions, we could provide students with the transformative education that would change the trajectory of their lives for generations.  

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Throughout my career, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with teachers to improve practice. I have found this most impactful. As a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Subject Matter Expert, I have found working with educators to enhance their ability to provide equitable and inclusive education ensures that every child can access “the dream.” As a Multi-Classroom Leader, I led a team of teachers, working with them on using pre-assessments to inform instruction. Specifically, using knowledge of students to make grade-level content accessible, while remediating necessary gaps to prepare students for upcoming instruction. We saw student gains of up to two grade levels in math during the academic year. This is why I do this work. I use my knowledge and expertise as an instructional leader to create environments where excellent education is the standard, changing, and in some instances, saving the lives of students.