The crystal clear waters surrounding Puerto Rico, the soft breeze from the ocean and the gentle sound of waves crashing against the shore in front of my house in Vega Baja hold the memories of a childhood filled with love, respect and wonder that has shaped who I am today. My parents, full of energy and a wonderful desire to enjoy life, raised their six children close to nature, teaching us, from very early on, to appreciate, to inquire, to be creative, and to be deeply respectful, giving us the freedom to be what we wanted to be. Their positive energy and attitude towards life definitely helped shaped our lives as we each searched for our own place in today’s world.
Becoming a teacher was one of my early passions. After graduating from Mt. St. Mary College in Newburgh, New York and earning a Master’s Degree in Education from Framingham State College in Massachusetts, I taught first in New York, and later on in Guatemala, where I lived for thirty-one years. For the past twenty years I was with the American International School in Guatemala, Colegio Maya, as an elementary teacher and secondary principal. I belonged to the Association of American Schools in Central America and had the honor of working with international schools in the region as well. I am currently one of five facilitators of Empowerment Unlimited, an organization that helps schools and organizations around the world to prepare leaders using the Appreciative Inquiry model. I also received a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principal’s Training Center in Florida.
My yearning to be close to my family and live on the island again brought me back to Puerto Rico. I am honored to be part of the wonderful learning community of TASIS Dorado, where students are at the center, where learning is ongoing and vibrant, and where this dynamic community is committed to making this coming academic year the best one yet.
Today, as we look for ways to empower young people as well as adults to become designers of their own lives, I feel blessed to be part of a team that wants to build on the positive, that wants to build on what works, that values the stories and that looks to the future knowing that the best is yet to be. I continue to find joy and purpose in all I do and look forward to helping our students, schools and other organizations create our future rather than letting it "happen to us."
