Note from The Fund Team: Welcome to week three of our Q&A series! We’re excited to introduce you to Principal Terri Campos of Lozano Elementary. Learn about her path to school leadership and what excites her most about her role. Thanks for sharing, Terri!
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The Fund: Tell us how you got into the field of education.
Terri Campos: I originally transitioned into education 13 years ago. When I was getting out of high school and going into college, I looked at my predictors for opportunity; teaching was a saturated market. I chose to major in human resource management so I could still find a way to teach others. The love of teaching was always there. My transition occured when I was raising a family, doing part time work and looking for something extra to do. At that time, there were substitute teaching opportunities in Chicago Public Schools. I paid $40 to get a certificate,I waked into a classroom to sub, and took it very seriously. The joy I felt made me realize this was my home. The feeling of kids looking up to you made me feel like a natural for this job. I believe I was born to be an educator.Â
The Fund: What drove you to seek a leadership position?
TC: I taught for five years and was very happy, but I wanted to make a greater impact. I decided to pursue administration. I receive a master’s in education and leadership. Prior to that, I had a master’s in business. I joined UIC program for principal preparation. I am here right now as part of Urban Leadership, and I’m still working on my dissertation. This helped me prepare myself to become a better leader. I chose this leadership role because I believe I could make a difference in classrooms. I wanted to bring joy into education and being there for children when they have needs. People were always supporting me as a child, but I didn’t know it. I want to educate parents and inform students when opportunities are out there. I want to help students find a career that they are happy with… I want to be a resource for children so they can pursue their dreams and fulfill them.
The Fund: What about Lozano Elementary School excites you?
TC: Lozano has a culture and climate that we have built to the point where we are ready to move forward and focus on raising our level of academics. This year, we went up a notch in our evaluation, but I think we are going to get that extra notch to hit Level 1 next year. It has to do with setting the tone and expectation that has made the difference and shifting to the value of education. It was a community shift that needed to be made. Parents don’t always know how to go about their children’s education. We want parents to take a stronger leadership role, and we hope to support our parents. I am always striving to make sure the physical and emotional environment is top notch. I am very persistent in making our building feel like it was built yesterday, even though it is 22 years old. I want people to feel comfortable in this setting.