What is your Hispanic Heritage?Michael: Puerto Rican
What area of Florida do you live in?
Michael: Fort Myers, FL
What is your profession?
Michael: Education
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about what you do for a living and how you got into it
Michael: This August, I began my 28th year as an educator serving students and school communities. Over my career, I have held various roles including classroom teacher, coach, dean, assistant principal, high school principal and district administrator. In my current role, I serve as the Chief of Staff for The School District of Lee County. In this position, I provide leadership and guidance to the senior leadership team on critical projects and initiatives supporting our vision of being a world-class school system. My passion for education began during my freshman year of college when I took an introduction to school programs course. A requirement of that course included an internship at a local high school. It was during that internship that I developed a deep connection to the classroom and the impact I felt I could have on the lives of students. I saw myself in so many of the students I worked with. It was during that Fall of 1995 that I felt the calling to the field of education.
Latin Times Magazine: In your industry, what would you say separates you from your competition
Michael: My passion for people and the ability to bring people together. Over the course of my career, I have found myself in many challenging situations, and my ability to lead in a manner than unites people rallying them around a common purpose and goal has always been a strength.
Latin Times Magazine: Why do you feel you were nominated
Michael: I am truly honored to have been nominated for this recognition. I feel that the commitment, passion and leadership that I have demonstrated in my day to day work in the school district was a reason for my nomination.
Latin Times Magazine: During Covid-19, tell us about your Biggest Challenge/obstacle and how you overcame it/or are overcoming it
Michael: During Covid-19, the biggest challenge that I overcame was losing one of my best friends who contracted the virus and passed away within a month’s time. His passing was a very difficult one for me and my family. It was only through of God’s strength and comfort that I was able to get through that most difficult time.
Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about your biggest achievement, and how you achieved it
Michael: I am proud of the 28+ years that I have dedicated to education. Over that time, there are many achievements that I am proud of. One of the achievements that stand out was bringing the Latinos In Action program to the state of Florida. Latinos In Action (LIA) is an elective course for middle and high school students that offers an asset-based approach to bridging the graduation and opportunity gap for Latino students, working from within the educational system to create positive change. The mission is to empower Latino youth to lead and strengthen their communities through college and career readiness. I was introduced to LIA during a 2015 conference in Provo, Utah where I met Dr. Jose Enriquez, Founder Chief Executive Officer of LIA. We connected and discussed bringing the program to Florida. As a Call to Action for school district, honoring the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, I drafted a district commitment proposal to bring LIA to Florida. We began LIA in 6 high schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The program grew the following year and I began to share the work and academic data with other school district leaders across the state. This collaboration resulted the program growing across the state to districts including Hillsborough, Lee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk and many more. I am proud that today, LIA is offered in over 100+ schools across the state of Florida and the impact the program has had on the lives of thousands of young people is something that I am most proud.
Latin Times Magazine: What is next for you? What can people expect to see from you?
Michael: My immediate next is to continue to grow as a leader looking for ways to expand on the opportunities and programs we offer students, as well as pushing our district to live out our mission of ensuring each student achieves his/her highest personal potential. I have career aspirations of becoming a Superintendent in a Florida school district however, until that time comes I will remain steadfast in my commitment to the students and community of Lee county.
Latin Times Magazine: What does being a U.S. Citizen mean to you?
Michael: I take tremendous pride in being a citizen in the greatest country in the world, the United States of America. For me, it means opportunity. The opportunities afforded in our country are limitless if you are willing to work hard, sacrifice and commit yourself to a goal.
Latin Times Magazine: What is your opinion of the state of affairs in our nation? And what role do you see Hispanics/Latinos playing in the future of our nation.
Michael: In a time where our country appears to be on polar opposites on almost every issue, I believe there is a growing spirit and desire to come together for the greater good of all people. I am an eternal optimist and will always choose to believe in the best in people, even when I do not see it. While there is such a focus on our differences, I believe that when people actually take the time to listen to each other, there is so much more they have in common than different. As the growth of Hispanics/Latinos continues in our country, I believe that it is important for the Hispanic communities to find their voice and elevate them in the places and spaces that can make a difference for our country.
Latin Times Magazine: What is the best lesson that you have learned in leadership and how has it helped your career?
Michaeal: The best lesson that I have learned in leadership is quite a simple one, treat people the way you want to be treated. Leadership is a people business and we must never forget that above anything else. My approach in treating people in this manner has allowed me to thrive in the positions I have held over the course of my career. At the end of my career, I want to be known as a leader who truly cared about the people he worked with and for.
Latin Times Magazine: Is there anything I didn’t ask that you would like to share?
The only other thing that I would share is that my success has always been grounded in my core values of faith and family. My story begins at home, born and raised by two incredible Puerto Rican parents that raised me and my brothers and sisters to be honest, respectful and always put family first. Ahead of anything else, I am a husband, dad, son and brother. I am blessed to be married to an incredible wife, Danielle and together we have two beautiful girls, Mia Grace and Brianna Joy. They are my biggest cheerleaders.
Latin Times Magazine: What is YOUR comida Latina favorita?
Nothing better than arroz con gandules y pernil