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Austin ISD Leader Letter
By Joy Diaz ● Sep 21, 2023
Smart Brevity® count: 3 mins...834 words
It’s a pleasure connecting with you again!
Stories of hope, stories of communities pushing forward, life-transforming stories can be hard to come by. You have to be intentional.
The opposite is also true. Stressors are easy to find—from the mundane, like getting a traffic ticket (oops!) to bigger things such as impeachments, lawsuits and even Congressional investigations.
Those stories are readily available and constantly offered in our feeds.
Today, let’s focus on people who are changing the world. People whose journey started at Austin ISD. In this installment, Marcela Andrés. Also, the healing power of community conversations. And, don’t forget, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees will be meeting tonight.
Let’s go through these stories together,
🌍 Joy
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🌎 How Marcela Andrés is Changing the World
Marcela Andrés by Felicia Reed Photography
As a little girl, Marcela Andrés wanted to be an astronaut.
But she was born in poverty.
“We don’t get to choose the circumstances in which we are born. But we are responsible for creating a purposeful life with the cards we are dealt.”
People often say the sky's the limit. But sometimes the limit is a whole lot closer. In the case of Andrés, she could touch the limits of the crowded 2-bedroom apartment she shared with her mom, sisters and extended family in Austin’s Rundberg neighborhood. She could also see how limiting it was for her mother to navigate systems as an immigrant who spoke no English.
One thing that was limitless in Andrés’ life was the wealth of inspiration she received from some educators. Mrs. Nora Tavasoli from Walnut Creek Elementary encouraged Andrés to feed her soul and her intellect.
“She wanted me to sing mariachi and coached me on how to apply for college and financial aid. She invested in the lives of her students and understood that education does not start and stop in the classroom.”
Graduating college fed Andrés’ intellect.
But not her soul. While on that search, she learned about the work of Harvard Professor Dr. Karen Mapp. And that touched her soul. Inspired by Mapp’s leadership, Andrés applied to Harvard. And later graduated with a Master’s in Education. Now, she helps others navigate the systems that sometimes limit children from reaching their full educational potential. And has written a book about it.
Marcela Andrés has yet to go to outerspace.
But she’s helping bring down barriers that might prevent others from going. That’s how she is changing the world.
And part of that change started at Austin ISD.
If you know someone who is changing the world and their story includes being part of Austin ISD, I want to learn about them. Reply to this email.
🌍 Joy Díaz
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1 big thing: Let’s work together to keep our students and schools safe
The Austin ISD Community Conversations series on mental health and school safety begins Monday, Sept. 25, on Zoom at 6 p.m.
Austin ISD is hosting a series of Mental Health and School Safety Community Conversations over the next month.
Why it matters: Our students, families and staff have valuable insights into how we can prevent and respond to critical incidents and we want to hear from you.
What to expect: Come talk with district leaders about
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Mental health support and resources;
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Preventing and responding to critical incidents; and
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How we’re investing in school safety and mental health.
We’ll kick off the Conversation Monday, Sept. 25! Emmy award-winning anchor and reporter for Spectrum News, Dr. Nicole Cross, will help us kick off the conversation in English. Emmy award-winning TV and radio host and emotional intelligence coach Leslie Montoya will host the conversation in Spanish.
Additional events:
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Wednesday, Sept. 27, 6–7:30 p.m., Bowie HS
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Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6–7:30 p.m., Travis ECHS
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Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6–7:30 p.m., Eastside ECHS
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Wednesday, Oct. 11, 6–7:30 p.m., LBJ ECHS
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Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6–7:30 p.m., Anderson HS
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Wednesday, Oct. 18, 6–7 p.m., Join via Zoom (English) and 7–8 p.m., Join via Zoom (Spanish)
All events will have ASL interpretation and in-person events will have small groups facilitated in English and Spanish.
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Robert Rodríguez and the Diaz kids - photo by Joy Diaz.
Got to enjoy a movie with Austinite Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez!
Rodríguez offered 50 tickets to Austin ISD children for the premiere of his latest Spy Kids film called Armageddon. Students from the Early College program of Radio, Television and Film attended.
If, like Rodriguez, you are in a giving mood, reply to this email and we'll find the perfect opportunity for you to give.
Until we meet again 👋🏽
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