Blackshear Elementary Students Meet Role Models

This was my third year to take part in the event, and  I always look forward to it.

Thanks to the hard work of Blackshear Principal Betty Jenkins, School Librarian Amanda Braziel and Role Model Day founder Margarine Beaman, more than 60 community leaders joined me at this year’s Role Model Day to share the ins and outs of their careers with students.

Patti Robinson, assistant police chief for the Austin Police Department, spoke with students about being a police officer.

Guests participants included Judge Orlinda Naranjo, Structural Engineer Brian Caudle, Austin Community College Director of Outreach Loretta Edelen, Assistant Police Chief Patti Robinson, City Council Members Kathie Tovo and Mike Martinez, and AISD’s Chief of Staff Mel Waxler.

Park rangers with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department talked to students about different types of wildlife.

For two hours, first through fifth graders visited our booths and learned everything from what it’s like to preside over a courtroom, report the news on T.V., uphold the law as a police officer, manage finances at a bank, to how park rangers with the City of Austin protect our city’s diverse wildlife. (The park rangers even brought a stuffed armadillo—only in Texas!)

I had some help from a very special volunteer assistant, Blackshear Elementary School third grader Daniel Peña-Ramirez, who helped hand out goodies during the school's annual Role Model Day. The event brings professionals to the school to share with students the ins and outs of their careers.

I love Role Model Day, and have participated every year. So I packed t-shirts, pencils, school medals and even a few backpacks as part of my giveaways. I had some help from a very special volunteer assistant, Blackshear third grader Daniel Peña-Ramirez, who helped hand out all of our goodies and asked me some great questions about my job.

A question that several students asked me was, “What’s the hardest part of your job?”

I get this question quite often, and my answer is always the same. My biggest challenge as a superintendent is trying to make sure that all students have equal access to the best education possible. It's not always easy, but the results are worth it!

Students also were curious about my robe. As you can tell in the pictures, I represented the crimson and black and wore the robe that shows that I’m a Harvard graduate.

I like wearing the robe for one reason: It helps make students see college and graduation as something special, a goal that they want to achieve. It almost represents the culmination of all the hard work they have to put in—from having perfect daily attendance, to working hard, studying and putting in the extra hours to ace a test or understand a complex equation or theory.

What I love most about this event is seeing students make real-life connections between the lessons they’re learning in the classroom and how the knowledge they gain will help them in the future.

I can’t talk about inspiration without mentioning the brains behind Role Model Day, Margarine Beaman, an East Austin business owner who initiated Role Model Day at Blackshear 15 years ago. Tired of the negative news coverage about her community, she called Blackshear Elementary staff members and asked how she could help.  

“I thought kids needed to know what people were doing and to meet people in the community who were inspiring,” Ms. Beaman said.

Ms. Beaman is a testament to the fact that everyone can play a part in ensuring the success of our students—no matter how big or small. 

“Everybody has something great they can do to make a difference,” Ms. Beaman said.

Thank you, Ms. Beaman, and to our Blackshear Elementary staff for the difference you’re making!