As an educator, he has served in different capacities, bilingual teacher, bilingual skills specialist, Assistant Principal, and is currently entering his 16th year in education. In 2019 Toscano returned to Aldine ISD as the Assistant Principal at Keeble Primary. In May of 2020, I was happy to be named the new Principal at Eckert Elementary. She is a first-generation college graduate and obtained her B.A. As an adoptive mother, Paola is an advocate for adoption and foster care. Her family originated from Costa Rica and Jamaica. Prior to Ellevation, Shirley led Brand and Digital Marketing at Curriculum Associates and served as Vice President at EF Go Ahead Tours and Tours for Girls Scouts. The hurdles and achievements she encountered growing up as a bilingual student in Aldine ISD developed a passion in her for teaching and helping others grow. As an active participant and mother of 4 young adults in her local community, she brings awareness to the front level where it is often missed in her diverse community. Born in the East End of Houston and raised in an immigrant community, Bilma is acutely aware of and passionate in addressing educational inequity in minority communities. Having worked in customer service roles for most of her life, she knew her passion was teaching and making a difference. I have 13 years of experience helping charter schools reach academic goals by ensuring students are on track to be college ready in Mathematics. . As the daughter of Mexican immigrants who grew up in East Oakland, she is passionate about ensuring true educational equity is available to all students. in Hispanic Studies. As a proud Venezuelan immigrant, he is passionate about working hard to help Latinos to build a better future for them and their families. Following the threads of the things that she cares about, Janices path has centered on increasing opportunity and access for people of color in general, and students of color in particular. director at various nonprofit organizations serving students and families. Her teaching experience includes six years as a Bilingual/ESL teacher in BPS. began his professional career as a middle school math teacher in West Philadelphia while earning his teaching certification at The University of Pennsylvania. Prior to TEA, Julie has supported the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students in a variety of capacities: as a middle school special education teacher, teacher leader, teacher preparation supervisor and university professor. Previously, as a Partner, Michelle led TNTPs academic strategy, leader and teacher recruitment, and development and effectiveness work in Memphis, Philadelphia, and Camden. Leading the staffing and recruiting strategy for a range of far reaching education consulting projects in the Southwest region. My name is (Norma) Vanessa Morales and I am in my tenth-year teaching at YES Prep Public Schools. My father is from Tula, Tamaulipas and my mother is from Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua. Her passion for Human Resources led her to obtain a certificate in Strategic Human Resources Leadership from Cornell University and to her enrollment in the Institute for Non-Profit Management Leadership Program. All her professional experiences from Michigan public school teacher, to non-profit professional development provider, to NASA Education Programs Specialist have been dedicated to lighting a spark in students and educators. We settled in Houston, Texas. A first generation Puerto Rican, Maribel grew up at the intersection of multilingualism and special education, engaging with extended family in Puerto Rico, monolingual peers in the suburbs of CT and family members with various communication impairments. Through a stroke of luck (or fate) she found a job posting at an Educational Opportunity Center (A Federal TRIO program) and very quickly, Andrea found a passion for helping people achieve their own educational dreams. She has been the Assistant principal at Conley Elementary for 3 years and aspires to become a superintendent in the future. For over twenty-five years, she has worked as a passionate history instructor in Passaic, an urban, immigrant community in New Jersey. Sylvia earned abachelors degree inWriting from Ithaca College and a masters inEducation from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is passionate about students reaching their full potential through utilizing tools such as social emotional learning, technology, STEM and opportunity. Throughout her time in the school operations field, she has been able to make tremendous strides towards advancing educational equity and opportunity for students of color in underrepresented communities. Gladys decided to pursue leadership opportunities as an Instructional Coach and, currently, a Department Head. Lorena lives in Boston with her spouse and two children. She is a member of the Association for Financial Professionals. Through this fellowship, we are developing a pipeline of Latino leaders that is currently untapped., the Fellows reflected on the weekend sharing, , has cultivated a valued space for reflection and connection with other passionate, driven professionals. In his role on corporate boards, Daniel is intimately familiar with both the need for greater diversity, and the difficulty of matching qualified candidates to available seats. Niurka completed her elementary and secondary education in Boston Public Schools. By becoming a board member in the future, she hopes she can expand the ways she contributes to the Latinx community. As a first-generation college student at Tufts University, she relied heavily on the continued support of her high school teachers. Outside of the classroom, I hope to explore different leadership opportunities in my community that continue to have a positive impact on the lives of my students. I strive to make an impact in my students lives through my daily interactions with them and the curriculum I create for my classes. After being exposed to Bilingual Education through her Latino friends, she decided to stay in Houston, TX, as an international student, and obtain a Masters in Education with a focus in Bilingual Education at University of Houston-Main Campus. There she oversaw finances, personnel and operations for an organization providing academic support to over 5,000 children across Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Previously, Michelle was a junior high campus administrator and teacher for Pasadena ISD for ten years. I was born in Bronx, NY but was raised in Providence, RI with both my parents and 3 female siblings. is passionate about supporting an inclusive community of Latino leaders from diverse backgrounds. My education philosophy is that children of color deserve the opportunity to imitate and cultivate their potential for computer science and mathematics. What you choose to learn is up to you. Benjamin credits his success to the strength of his support systems and he aspires to build off the opportunities he has been granted to create more opportunities for all children to find their vision of success. She started her career at JPMorgan Chase serving in a various positions including client services and treasury services sales. Lety wanted her children to have a better experience in school than she did, so she moved trying to find a better school for her children. The journey from Houston to Boston served as a learning experience in a variety of ways and often challenged her family dynamics. She moved to Houston in 2008 where she took a teaching position as a Spanish teacher in Aldine ISD. He has been married to his wife Betty, and has two children, Cynthia, 35, and Maximiliano, 30, both married. She is a proud Latina, mother, and wife committed to ensuring education is an opportunity for students to achieve the goals they set for themselves. She wants to continue preparing to grow as a Latina leader in education in the U.S. and learn better ways to help her community blossom. Through her efforts with RAR-MA initiatives in the communities of Merrimack Valley, she was awarded by local congress the 2017 Unsung Heroine of Massachusetts Award and more recently she was one of the recipients from the Instituto Cultural de Puerto Rico Inc., of the 2021 Puerto Rican Pride Excellence Award. Justin has a passion for ensuring that operational systems ensure excellence for schools and districts to increase student achievement outcomes. She currently lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since arriving in the United States in 2014, Ciro has worked for multiple media outlets in Boston and Washington, D.C., and has served as a game broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox Spanish Network on over 50 games. In 2015 Mr. Toscano moved to Klein ISD as a district-level Specialist for the Multilingual Department where he was part of the design team for their Two-Way Dual Language program and supported multiple campuses in their efforts to better serve their English learners. I focus on teaching the whole child through community support, parent workshops, and student involvement throughout the school. In 2006, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Dr. Velasco, program faculty at Harvards School Turnaround Leadership program, on issues including evaluation, teacher retention, and adult learning and development. As a first-generation college student from a large immigrant family, she understands some of the barriers that Latino students face in accessing a quality education and is committed to expanding access to educational opportunities for all students. . In 2014 he graduated from the Honors College at Auburn with a degree in Political Science with minors in Economics and Business. Kelly was a key stakeholder in organizing a city-wide donation drive for Hurricane Maria. Aside from her experience coaching leaders, Luzdivina has had the opportunity to serve in different capacities aimed at improving student outcomes at IDEA, including founding teacher, Assistant Principal, Founding Principal and Successor principal. Were also ensuring Latino education professionals have access to job and professional development opportunities across the country through our members-only Talent Hub. There, Ms. Cruz led a number of progressive initiatives, most pointedly those directly impacting improvement with instruction and school culture. His talent for supporting and empowering teams to restore dignity and purpose continues to be his greatest commitment to his work. Myrla received the nickname "Picture Perfect Princess" because of her high standards. She transitioned to the Director of Student Support role at YES Prep North Central for 3 years. She uses her Latinx identity to influence all students and families, especially those from minoritized groups. Moreover, she holds a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Business School. She was raised by a single mother of three and is inspired by her familys hard work. The district is committed to increasing the number of Latinos staff so that it resembles the student population; educators of color improve the educational success of ALL students. On his spare time, Joel enjoys rooting for the Astros, Rockets and Texans! Felicia previously served as the Managing Director of Program Strategy for two years before becoming Managing Director of College Success, where she was responsible for developing the philosophies and structures needed to support EMERGE students through college graduation. 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