Growing up in an inner-city neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, I demonstrated resiliency at a young age, overcoming violence, homelessness and poverty. Despite these obstacles landing me in a dropout prevention program in junior high school, I endured and graduated high school with good grades (and as Cheerleader Captain). I would go on to earn a dual certification in Early Childhood/Special Education and receive a BA in Early Childhood/Special Education and Psychology and an MSED in Childhood Education from CUNY Brooklyn College, graduating Cum Laude. My career began with the Department of Education in D75 at the age of 20 years old, as a Paraprofessional, immediately falling in love with teaching. As a standardized special education teacher, I dedicated my time to advocacy for children and families by joining various educational groups and committees to improve and establish strong community ties. I also attended workshops, studied trends and progress monitoring for academic growth, and provided the support needed for improvement. Over the course of my career, I had the privilege of being part of several educational initiatives to improve education for students with special needs, frequently collaborating with school leadership and educators to make school programs more inclusive. As a school leader, I supported my organization with my versatility of educational skills, which allowed me to develop and mentor new teachers. I worked individually with teachers to align each teacher’s pacing to better support students and their learning outcomes. As a result, many of my students and others progressed to LRE programs. I also have extensive experience creating curriculums, assessments and performance tasks for schools. During the absence of administration and during unprecedented times such as the COVID-19 shutdown, I ran the school, overseeing the day-to-day operations and often made critical and time-sensitive decisions. Furthermore, I improved the overall growth in the organization. Transitioning to the Office of Student Enrollment allows me to continue advocating for enrollment improvements by analyzing enrollment concerns and issues and finding possible solutions to the situation with my leaders and other constituents. It is a pleasure partnering with leaders throughout the school system to support families. When I am off the clock, I continue to work on my personal development and growth; I love finding ways to stay healthy. I am also a long-life learner and love making new discoveries and staying abreast of new educational developments and initiatives. I have two wonderful children, one of which has autism. Overall, my life has resulted in my always including myself in the number to make the quality of life for all students better.