For Albany School Superintendent Kaweeda Adams, working with children is a matter of the heart. 

"I wanted to go into corporate law, and then I started observing in classrooms, and that's when I realized I had the bug," said Adams, who then spent seven years as an English teacher.

"Just having students around me and being able to help them with their assignments, I fell in love."

She then moved into administration, serving as the associate superintendent for nearly 30,000 students during her 29-year tenure at the Clark County School District in Nevada. 

Adams was named superintendent for the city school district of Albany in 2017.

"One of the things that intrigued me about coming here to Albany is, number one, diversity and opportunity," she said.

Adams understands the trust that parents are putting in her with their children.

"Sometimes, it is overwhelming. It is overwhelming because it is a large job," she said.

Adams inherited a district that has struggled to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color. 

The superintendent says it's important for parents to have access to her and the resources they need. Under her leadership, test scores have improved.

"We saw a 4 percent gain with our [Grades] 3 through 8 assessments, and so we are really excited about that," Adams said.

But she acknowledges there's still work to do.

"In some cases, we saw a 10 percentage point gain, but we still didn't meet the mark," the superintendent said.

Adams has one message for her students: "We believe in your possibilities. We believe in your opportunities, and we want to make sure that we prepare you for every single step of the way."