INDIANAPOLIS — The Mind Trust's Emerging Leaders Fellowship is equipping educators with the tools they need to transform classrooms and the lives of students across Indianapolis — and the deadline to apply for the next cohort is this Friday.
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At Adelante Schools, Jessica DeLaCruz is helping multilingual learners find their voice and the confidence to chase their dreams. DeLaCruz oversees programming for more than 150 multilingual students and is in her third year of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship with the Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that supports existing schools and grows new schools.
"I was at a point in my career almost three years ago where I felt I needed a lot more development, to fulfill my purpose at my school," DeLaCruz said.
The fellowship is a three-year commitment blending mentorship and executive coaching. Each year focuses on a different leadership skill — from presence, to leading through others, to creating system-wide improvements for schools.
"I think the biggest impact overall is how it's helped me grow into a leader that is accountable to their team but also helps each individual grow the way they need to be," DeLaCruz said.
DeLaCruz is currently applying those skills to a project focused on how to best support multilingual learners in state testing.
"My why is like I wanna help students that not only share my experiences, but I wanna help all students kind of reach their full potential, and so it's definitely a mission that's very near and dear to my heart," DeLaCruz said.
The Mind Trust says strong school leadership leads to stronger learning outcomes for kids and stronger communities overall. The organization is also focused on keeping talented educators in Indianapolis.
"So we have a lot of talent that goes away from Indianapolis, going to Nashville, going to Chicago. We want to work on that talent drain and keep amazing leaders here in Indianapolis for our students," Dr. Tianay Perrault, Senior Director of Indiana Fellowships with the Mind Trust, said.
DeLaCruz says the work starts from within.
"If your purpose, if your goal is to help students and help them break generational cycles, you have to start with yourself and your leadership in order to help develop the other adults around you so that they're the best that they can be for students," DeLaCruz said.
The fellowship is open to educators in Center Township only. Fellows are paid a total of $30,000 to participate over the course of three years. The deadline to apply for the next cohort is this Friday. Applications are available on the Mind Trust's website.
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