ACSA Elementary Co-Administrator of the Year Erika Rivera has a passion for helping students who need extra support and shows empathy toward all students and their backgrounds. To that end, she has worked with her team to develop student-centered activities at Sundance Elementary School for all to enjoy. She worked with teams at two sites to create and implement the “Future Cougar Program” — a partnership to provide high school students the leadership opportunity to be positive role-models for her elementary students who will one day be “Future Cougars.” “Mrs. Rivera constantly evaluates if what the school is seeking to accomplish is for the well-being of all students,” said Shawn Mitchell, assistant superintendent of human resources. “Keeping the ‘why’ behind every decision she makes allows her to stay the course of providing her students a high-quality educational opportunity.” What’s your favorite book on leadership? I have many books that are my favorite and that I continuously reference; however, one that really has always stuck with me is “Discovering Your True North” by Bill George. I love this book for how it really guides leaders in understanding their foundational truths, their core values, or as the author calls it, a leader’s “true north.” What’s your favorite quote about leadership? “I took this job not because I got the call, but because I accepted the calling.” — Dr. Judy White This quote truly sums up what I believe I was called to do — that I “get” to wake up every day and support my staff who supports our students in becoming academically, socially-emotionally, and vocationally ready for a college and/or career pathway, and preparing them to be productive citizens of our society. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? “The way to walk 1,000 miles is by taking one step at a time.” — Dr. Ben Lastimado In the leadership lens, this means that when guiding my team in addressing an area of growth, the way we can do this is by simply breaking the challenge into more manageable pieces and then addressing each piece one at a time.  What’s your best strategy for work/life balance? The best strategy I have regarding the fine art of balancing work and home life is to have an amazing husband as I do. My husband, who is also an educator, truly supports me and understands the amazing work we do. He has taught me that my career is a calling and, as such, our family is a part of this calling. Being an administrator, in essence, is a way of life and understanding that the two can coexist together.  What are the top five life hacks that you would recommend for a new administrator? 1. Calendar everything you can ahead of time and provide yourself several reminders. 2. Make dinners for the whole week on Sunday so that you’re ensuring you are eating healthy throughout the week. 3. Hang three outfits in your closet that are already put together, so that during rough mornings, all you have to do is grab and go. 4. Write positive and authentic emails to individual staff members and then schedule them to be sent out throughout the year.  5. Always have a stack of “thank you” cards and Starbucks cards at hand ... being timely in thanking someone is very important.  What made you want to become a school administrator? I guess like all things the answer to this question begins at the beginning. As a young girl, I struggled in many areas of my academics, and even with the amazing support of my loving family, continued to struggle until one day I was blessed by my teacher Mr. Robinson. Mr. Robinson taught me in a way that I could understand and empowered me to see in myself the very academically successful student he saw. He poured into his students not only academically but also socially-emotionally, teaching us the importance of being lifelong learners and giving back to our communities. When I became a teacher, I held on to these same values and sought to empower students to see their tree within their seed, and therefore supported all of my students academically and socially-emotionally, but also to become productive citizens of their community. No matter the students’ pasts, I was going to support them in being prepared for a successful future. The reason I chose to become an administrator was to make an even greater impact on children’s lives by supporting and guiding my staff in evidence-based strategies that address not only the needs of our students academically and socially-emotionally but preparing them for a college/career pathway and in being productive citizens of their community.  Who is someone who inspires you?  Although I have been blessed by many amazing leaders, one in particular who I enjoy reading and listening to is John Maxwell. The attributes I seek to emulate of Mr. Maxwell are humility, servitude, transparency, honesty, being an effective leader and mentor, and authentic relationship-building. What’s your pre-game ritual to get ready for a big meeting or presentation? Prior to any big meeting and/or presentation, I always go back to my “why” or my purpose behind what I am doing. Answer: To support staff who then empower our students academically, socially-emotionally and vocationally, not only as successful students in the classroom but as productive citizens of our community.   What was the best ACSA event you’ve attended? Leadership Summit — they are all so inspiring and informative. How has ACSA supported you in your career/current position? ACSA has provided me many professional development opportunities that have not only given me access to amazing resources but mentors as well.   What has the impact of the COVID-19 worldwide health crisis taught you? The impact of the COVID-19 worldwide health crisis has taught me that as a society we are resilient, that even in the toughest times, acts of kindness can be seen and that we really are in this together.