AUSTIN, Texas — Dr. Stephanie Elizalde is diversifying the role of superintendent in Central Texas as the first Latina superintendent elected in the history of the Austin Independent School District.
The Texas native serves more than 80,000 students and 12,000 staff members within the district. She believes it’s an honor of a lifetime to proudly represent the community she serves.
“I feel very humbled and blessed that I am here and I want to continue to build the relationships that truly allow us to be one unified school district moving towards what kids need,” Elizalde said.
She says she looks forward to a time where having to say someone is the first Latina or African American is no longer a part of the sentence. Her goal is for students of all backgrounds to strive to be whatever they want to be.
Growing up in Laredo, Elizalde always dreamed of working in education. When she was a chil she would play school with the kids in her neighborhood.
"The only deal was I was very bossy so I was always the teacher,” Elizalde said.
As she pursued college, Elizalde was drawn to science and math, which led her to a career path in medicine. In between degrees, Elizalde decided to take a year off from school and teach.
“I thought I’ll take a year off before I begin medical school and that year off, I thought, I’ll become a teacher for one year - and that was 35 years ago,” she says.
Elizalde says teaching students for the first time was a defining moment in her life that taught her lifelong lessons she still carries with her today.
"I know my students taught me more than I ever taught them, but they did teach me that I was meant to do this work,” recalled Elizalde.
While the work of a superintendent is never done, Elizalde conducts bi-weekly check-ins with schools across the district. For Elizalde, it’s a chance to observe the work, the challenges and the successes at each campus.
“It’s really a lot of fun,” she said.
