Meet the Principal
New Year, New Principal
Our new principal, Dr. Isabel Rodriguez, comes to Heritage from Puerto Rico. Growing up with two sisters, she loved school because she loved participating. She joined many clubs and even organized some herself. “Of course I always appointed myself president!” she reported.
At 23, she fell in love and moved up to Miami with her husband. He was the one to convince her to drop her job in cosmetology and go back to school. Struggling with English herself, she saw the need to establish ESL (English as a Second Language) programs. She trained as an ESL teacher just as programs were set up around the country. She taught for about five years before she shifted into administrative roles and moved north.
For the last five years she has been principal at Wellstone but now she is .6 at her old school and .4 at Heritage. She says working at two schools has been challenging. “I can’t give 100 percent to either school,” she said, which is frustrating. She said she’s noticed Heritage students seem to understand how to succeed. They are organized and know what it takes to get the work done. They are also great advocates for their education.
Her vision for Heritage is a place of community where people take joy in their daily jobs, “where there is a feeling like you are coming home.”
Dr. Rodriguez has made a good first impression on both students and staff, and we hope she makes her “home” here for a good long time.