MEET DR. GONZALEZ

My Story

I am a proud product, parent and principal in LAUSD. I grew up in the southeast city of Huntington Park and attended LAUSD District 5 schools. I am the daughter of immigrant parents who taught me the value of hard work. Although my father only received an elementary education he did not let that hold him back from providing our family a great life.  He worked two jobs for over 30 years delivering Los Angeles Times newspapers at dawn and working a full time job at a metal foundry in the city of Vernon during the day. While in high school I was inspired by seeing my mother spend countless hours learning English and studying to complete adult school coursework in order to receive her GED. She is now a small business owner in the southeast city of Bell.   My family’s story is the American story and LAUSD was the vehicle that allowed me to be the first in my family to attend and graduate from college.

I live in the city of Cudahy and I’m raising two beautiful and strong daughters who attend District 5 schools.  As a parent in the district I am invested in making sure that my daughters and all LAUSD students have quality schools that will prepare them to be healthy and active participants in our community.

I was a teacher in LAUSD and chose to work in some of the districts most underserved communities.  I did this because I believed, and still do, that all schools deserve passionate and committed educators who believe they can make a difference in the lives of our most marginalized families. I’ve chosen to stay in LAUSD for over 17 years because I believe that we must work towards the change we want to see and because this district has always been my home.  

Currently, I work with students, families, teachers and community partners everyday as a high school principal in South Central Los Angeles.  As a school principal, it is my daily responsibility to ensure that students have access to quality instruction and safe and healthy learning environments.  I work closely with parents as partners and create welcoming environments that provide them the resources they need. 

As the principal of a community school, I collaborate with community partners to bring valuable programs to our school and to our families.  I foster environments that include teacher voice in decision-making and invest in teachers' professional growth by creating supportive environments that value them as dedicated and passionate professionals.    

I am in touch with what is happening in schools and in the lives of students, families and teachers right now.   I have a deep understanding of what works in the district and what needs to improve to make all of our schools great schools for kids.  This understanding has come from my work in schools and the investment I’ve made in my own education by receiving two master’s degrees in education and an Educational Doctorate from UCLA.  Most importantly I am a fierce advocate on behalf of students, families and teachers. 

My 17 years of experience as an educator in LAUSD has not been a career, it has been a calling. I seek to bring this experience and passion to the school board to work on changing systems that leave certain communities, families, and teachers out and to invest in long-term transformative change that is student-centered, site-based, teacher-led and works with communities and families as partners to improve the academic outcomes and opportunities for all of our students.