What made you want to become an assistant principal? 

“I always loved working with youth, I thought often when things weren’t going right for them. Because of my own experience, I kind of work with them over time, to change their behavior. “

“And what I kept finding when I was a teacher was that something would happen, and then students would lose connection with scholars. Because they got in trouble for something, and I wanted to change that.”

What or who was the inspiration to the start of your career?

“I used to have another line of employment, and I volunteered at the community center 3 days a week, in the afternoon with some young boys who were working on a school project. And helping them through that, and watching them accomplish that, and learn and feel good about themselves, it’s like a bulb went off in my head. Like wait a minute, this is kind of what I want to do.”

What problems did you face in your career? 

“I wasn’t the strongest student, so I didn’t get A’s and B’s and so, I always thought because I wasn’t that type of student, maybe I’m not as good as the other people. Who wants to be teachers or principals, who maybe got A’s and B’s. So I was always unsure of myself, but over time I started to realize there are a lot of good things about me too.”

What’s the biggest achievement you’ve received while doing what you’re doing?

 “Probably watching hundreds of young people graduate, who the system said wouldn’t and thought they couldn’t. And watching the joy they had brushed off their shoulders and the families being very happy that they did it.”

What do you feel when you see people trying to do what you do? 

“I feel very positive, because that means that more people are going to make more changes and maybe affect lives. When I see people wanting to do what I do, I want to share any skills or advice that I can. So they can have what they need to get to where I am.”

Where do you want to be in five years with the knowledge that you have now? 

“I hope I’m still here, I hope that I’m creating some opportunities for young males in particular, for them to feel very positive.”

Has anything ever gone wrong in your career?

“I have made many, many mistakes. Sometimes I might say something, and it might only be a simple word, but it can hurt a person. And you don’t realize it can affect them the way that it did, but I try to learn from that.”

 What made you want to transition into being an assistant principal at Centennial?

“I wanted to come to a school that had more resources for young people. You have sports, all these different activities, all these different things to offer scholars here. Where I came from we didn’t have those things, so I wanted to go somewhere where there were resources, and I could learn and grow.”

“Originally I’m from New York, moved out here with my mom. I spent most of my young life in California and moved up here as an adult.”