Latino Leadership. What does it look like?

 

LLA is excited that its Latino Leadership Alliance alumni have the passion for their communities and the ganas to use the leadership skills they developed through LLA’s Leadership Academy to put themselves before the voters for the opportunity to work serving their communities through elected office.
Learn more about these leaders, what they’re running for and why they’re doing it.

NAME: IVAN MONTES

LLA COHORT: 8

RACE: Morgan Hill School District, Trustee Area 5

WHAT DOES LATINO LEADERSHIP LOOK LIKE TO YOU?

Part of leading starts with a level of acknowledgement, considerable introspection, and collective work to reassess and revisit what we do, why we do it, in the best interest of whom, and according to whom. It is imperative that we not remain passive or silent and we use our privilege and examine our current practice, philosophy and values.

Latinx leadership, when leadership focuses on the experiences of those who are, have been, or continue to be disenfranchised by institutionalized oppression — is a vehicle to facilitate experiences that lead to disruption of the status quo and our ways of knowing, increased social awareness, and collective social action. We are raising the next generation of leaders and their life options need to be more than just survival, but thriving in a world that humanizes them and their experiences. 

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO RUN FOR OFFICE?

I am running for Morgan Hill Unified School Board Trustee Area 5 because I love Morgan Hill and care deeply about our community and education. My parents came to this country without the ability to speak English and with the determination to attain a better life.

Growing up in Santa Clara County to working-class parents and as a student identified as an English Language Learner I experienced first hand the challenges of navigating our educational system. Many of the challenges my family and I experienced through my educational journey are still endured by students today. 

Currently, I have the privilege of serving our community as the proud principal of a public elementary school where I have first-hand experience leading distance learning efforts amid the pandemic. These experiences provide a unique and much needed perspective to serve our community as a MHUSD trustee.

HOW HAS YOUR LLA EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAMPAIGN RACE?

LLA afforded me an opportunity to learn from and with leaders from varying sectors making a significant impact in our comunidad.  I not only had an opportunity to develop important lenses to reflect on our collective reality, but have also grown into a vibrant network of gente that has supported me professionally, personally and in my current campaign race by opening doors, navigating situations and making connections. The LLA experience was a safe space for me to be vulnerable and grown in order to better serve.

WEBSITE: https://www.ivanrosalesmontes.com