Colorado Association of Latino/a Administrators and Superintendents LA LUZ DE LIDERAZGO - A MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT December 2024
Welcome to the CO ALAS Membership Spotlight. Each month we introduce you to one of our many CO-ALAS members. Let’s see what they are doing and what’s on their mind!
This month we are featuring Ingrid Rizo, Teacher at Cherry Creek Schools and Adjunct Professor at University of Colorado, Denver. Ingrid shares her professional career and current bio below. You can read the diverse experiences that have led to her various leadership roles. One of our shining stars!
Career Highlights & Education
Ingrid Rizo has been a 6-12 public school teacher for 28 years. Through this experience, she has learned that heroes of color are frequently missing from the curriculum which set the stage for her to pursue her doctoral degree in Leadership for Educational Equity at the University of Colorado Denver. Her doctoral research project title is “Operationalizing the C3 Framework in an 8th-grade U.S. History Classroom to Build Community by Empowering BIPOC Students and Building Allyship with Their Peers.” This learning influences her teaching whether in her own classroom, her school’s monthly Inclusive Excellence Professional Development or her role as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado at Denver. She is a firm believer that every teacher can make a student feel at home in their academic spaces with cultural visibility and creating community by teaching students how to politely engage in difficult discourse. As a delegate to Colorado ALAS, Ingrid has had the privilege to work with leaders who inspired her to elevate her voice for her students from traditionally marginalized communities and their peers to establish an inclusive learning environment for all. Ingrid is the daughter of a Colombian petroleum engineer father and a Mexican-American teacher mother. Both of her parents came from homes with limited income and were the first in their families to earn their master’s degrees. She is the second on both sides. When she graduates in May, she will represent the less than 1% of doctors that are Latina and the first in her family.
What is exciting about my job?
Nothing is more inspiring than watching students develop critical awareness of the world around them and facilitating discussions about marginalization. My 8th-grade students are brilliant and find their voices when we normalize kind and respectful ways to disagree
Words from a consejero/a
One of the wisest things I have reflected on every day of my doctoral journey came from one of my amazing peers, who said that I am my ancestors’ wildest dream. This is something that I share with my students to encourage them to see more in themselves than they do. When students get discouraged, this is what I convey to them so they know that investing in their education is the key to having choices.
Advice you would give a new school leader?
It is not about scores or numbers. It is about the heart of our students. Children who see their cultures as heroes in their curriculum see possibilities in their future. Students should be constantly encouraged and dared to dream. Nothing is impossible as long as they persist and see themselves as assets to their community.
If you catch me outside the office, you'll find...
me somewhere on a beach relaxing after all the madness of being a working student. When I graduate in May, that is precisely where I will be, wondering what to do with all the extra time I now have.
How does CO-ALAS add value?
I never saw myself as a leader until I attended the Four Corners Leadership Academy. I was surrounded by superintendents and district leaders in awe of the courage it takes to step into the spotlight. Through their example and shared wisdom, they inspired me to remove myself from the sidelines and become a more vocal advocate for my students. Without the inspiration of CO-ALAS, I would never have considered presenting at my school’s monthly Inclusive Excellence meeting or the Latina Leadership Conference. Now, I am ready to take on the challenge all the leaders who presented at Four Corners inspire in me.