How has your experience in this position been so far?

Every role comes with its own challenges, but at the same time it has been very, very exciting. I’ve been learning a lot, connecting with the students — especially those that are taking the IB courses. Also the teachers that are teaching IB classes and trying to figure things out with them. 

What are your responsibilities as the Enrichment Coordinator?

The biggest responsibility as of now is reminding students to register for the IB exam — making sure that for those that have accommodations, they’re getting the documents and everything they need. I don’t want them to have that stress when the exam comes around. I know it’s in May — it’s far, but at the same time, l want everything to be aligned because students have to worry about. They have a lot on their plate so I want to make them feel comfortable when they’re taking the exam.

How did starting midway through the year affect your transition?

It hasn’t, because at the school that I’m coming from, I had a lot of things — I used to wear many different hats. I was the transportation manager, the food manager, the office manager — I had a lot of things embedded in my role. As for coming here, I’m the person who tries to encourage students to take advantage of honors classes that we offer here, working with teachers advocating for students — especially students of color — making sure students are taking or registering for the IB exam. So it has a lot, but at the same time, it’s something that I’ve been doing for such a long time.

What did you do before coming to Park?

When I graduated from high school, I was a little bit lost. I wanted to become a nurse at one point and then I started volunteering. Before I went into the nursing program, I started volunteering at clinics and hospitals to see if I was capable of taking that field, because at the end of the day, I wasn’t thinking about money. I was thinking about something that I would enjoy in the long run. Seeing people that are sick is something that I didn’t feel comfortable with because I never enjoyed watching someone that is in pain and then not doing anything for them. So then I came back to college and I was lost again. I talked (with one of my professors) about my childhood and how I used to connect with my dad who used to teach me math. Then I would help my friends with that knowledge that my dad passed on to me. (That professor) encouraged me to go into the educational field. Then I started volunteering at Minneapolis public schools and fell in love with the kids and that is how I became a teacher. After I got my bachelor’s degree from college, I started helping those that were new to the country — the multilingual students. Then I went back to college, got my master’s degree and have been in leadership ever since then. 

What has been the most unexpected thing you’ve had to deal with so far?

When it comes to IB, there’s so many questions that students have and so many questions that parents have. As someone who is learning a lot, I need to feel comfortable so that I can give them the correct answer. And then every time that I connect with someone, they are as lost as the kids. I thought, like, the kids had the answers, or the parents had the answers. (But they don’t, so) that is something that was unexpected.

What has been your favorite part of the job so far? 

Connecting with the kids. I remember when I was in high school and middle school, I wish I had someone who cared for me, so that at least I could have felt comfortable going into things, whether it’s a test or planning to go to college or anything else. Some students might see in somebody that is in my position as a person who is different from them, so I’m hoping that having that relationship with the students might change some of the perspectives they have of someone that looks like me.