With 25 years of experience in education, Yumi Kawasaki is the proud principal at Edwin Markham Middle School in Watts. Hailing from a family of educators in Mexico, Yumi’s path to becoming a principal was not linear. “I like to say it chose me,” she explains. Initially, she ventured into the field of psychology, thinking...
Educators play a crucial role in shaping the future of our society, and one such dedicated and influential educator is Principal Mauro Bautista of Mendez High School in Boyle Heights. He has been principal of the school for over a decade and has been with the school in different capacities since its opening in 2009....
Estela Lopez, an educator with 28 years of experience, currently serves as the principal of Dolores Huerta Elementary School. Estela’s commitment to education and her community is deeply rooted in her own experiences. She believes in the power of education to change lives and strives to provide her students with the same opportunities she had....
We recently reconnected with Heaven Watson, a Jordan High graduate and current student at San Jose State University. She shared how being part of the Partnership’s Policy Advisory Board and Watkins Fellow had an impact on her life. Read more below. In October 2021, we spoke with Heaven Watson about her experience with the Partnership’s...
Meet Kennedy Gardner (she/her), an English teacher resident at Roosevelt High School. We spoke recently to chat about her start in teaching. Read more below. Last summer, after graduating from the University of Washington, Kennedy participated in a program through the Breakthrough Collaborative in San Francisco, an umbrella organization of 24 affiliates that offers customized...
Meet Amber Miles (she/her), a kindergarten teacher at Ritter Elementary School and a proud South LA native. We spoke recently about how she fosters college awareness and readiness in her young students while drawing inspiration from her own family’s educational values and experiences. Read more below. Education runs deep in Amber’s roots. Growing up, attending...
Meet Kevin Magaña (he/him), a 12th-grade student at Mendez High School. We connected to discuss his two-week trip abroad to the Dominican Republic this past summer with Global Glimpse. Read more below. Kevin first came across Global Glimpse, a non-profit organization that empowers students from diverse backgrounds to work together, build empathy, connect with the...
Meet Annalie Andrade (she/hers), a first-year, third-grade teacher at Figueroa Street Elementary. We spoke recently about her start in teaching and her connection to the school. Read more below. Annalie’s teaching journey has been a long-time coming, especially her placement at Figueroa Street Elementary School. She lives in the community and is an alum of...
Meet Gabriela Bizarro (she/her), a 9th-grade student at MSTMA at Roosevelt and Hollenbeck Middle School alum. We connected to discuss her love of math and her interest in STEM careers. Read more below. Gabriela is excited about attending MSTMA at Roosevelt because she has heard great things about the school and her middle school friends...
Meet Janeth Morales, a fourth-year student at Roosevelt High School. We talked with her about how the Medical and Health Science pathway created a life-changing interest in the field, her recent honor as a 2023 Linked Learning Student of the Year, and the plans she has for the future. Janeth Morales was a first-year student...
Meet Reinaldo De Jesus, Jordan High School college & career counselor and SAT/PSAT/AP/SST coordinator. Recently, we talked with him about everything he does to help students make the most educated decisions about college and their futures. Read below. In October, we kick off college season. It’s a time when students start researching schools, dig into...
Meet Jordan High School senior Tony Jackson. We talked with him about his musical inspiration, how his passion for music has led to plenty of opportunities at Jordan, and how it’s shaping his thinking around college. “Music is my life for some reason. It’s all I can talk about,” says Tony Jackson, a senior at...
