“Siempre para adelante mijo, nunca para atrás ni para agarrar impulso.” Always forward my son. Never backward. Barely a week went by in my childhood without being reminded by my mother that I always needed to be moving forward. Her belief was driven by her upbringing in rural El Salvador where she had few opportunities to pursue her educational aspirations. Matters were made worse by the Salvadoran Civil War which forced my parents to leave all they knew and establish new lives in the United States.
Siempre para adelante – I learned this from my father as he worked 14 hour days for years to work his way up from a dishwasher to a restaurant owner.
Siempre para adelante – I learned this from my mother as she called everybody she knew when I was a kid until she found somebody that could my help me with my homework, since she couldn’t speak English.
Siempre para adelante – I took this lesson with me as I became the first person in my family to go to college, eventually graduating from Harvard University. It stayed with me each day I stood in front of a classroom full of students who wanted nothing more than to learn how to get ahead in life. I keep it in mind as I lead my school, knowing that their futures lie in my hands.
Siempre para adelante – Unfortunately, that’s not what’s always reflected in the educational environments around the country. Too many people have become complacent, allowing our schools to decay and our students to fall behind. Your kids deserve to have a shot at successful futures. They should never have to wonder “what if.”
Siempre para adelante – This is the mindset I have when I think about my students. I know what it’s like as a student to work your way up from the bottom and I know what it’s like as a school leader to enact systems that push students forward. Together, we will move forward. I work hard every day to make sure my students find themselves further along than they ever thought possible.
No matter what, I keep moving forward – to help my students and fellow Latino leaders move forward – just like my mother always wanted me to do.
