Today we’d like to introduce you to Oscar Romano.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m the Principal at YES Prep Gulfton (a 6th-12th grade school serving 1050 students), which is in one of the most diverse communities in the country due to its large immigrant population. I can’t help but connect my own background to this community. My parents were both immigrants from El Salvador who came here in the 1980’s fleeing violence from the Civil War.
While I was born and raised in the United States, I grew up in a Salvadoran household – Spanish was my first language and pupusas were my favorite food! My parents didn’t get the education they wanted for themselves, so they emphasized its importance to my brother and I. “Siempre para adelante mijo, nunca para atras, siempre para adelante,” (Always forward my son, never backward, always forward) my mom would always tell us. This focus pushed me to work hard in school; I knew I needed to do right by my family.
I worked hard in school and it all paid off when I started getting college acceptance letters at the end of my senior year in HS. My mom opened them first and called me excitedly afterwards. In the end, I narrowed down my decision between Harvard and Yale. It was incredible to think that only about 25 years earlier, my parents arrived in this country with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
My time at Harvard was fraught with as many ups as downs, but I made it through successfully and joined Teach for America immediately thereafter. I knew I wanted to do my part to ensure all students had equitable access to opportunities.
I completed my two-year commitment with Teach for America as an 8th grade science teacher at Fondren Middle School in Houston Independent School District. I fell in love with my students and the community. I moved to YES Prep Brays Oaks, right down the street, and It was there that I witnessed the true power of an aligned community.
I moved to an administrative role – as a Dean of Students (Assistant Principal) – for the next four years and saw my 8th graders grow into amazing young men and women. I stayed at YES Prep Brays Oaks for another year after that, as the Director of Student Support, before transitioning to my current role as the Principal at YES Prep Gulfton.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the earliest memories I have as a student comes from my time in kindergarten when I was frequently pulled out of class to do more work in a different room. I always hated leaving my friends to go do more work (I later realized that these were ESL classes). But this didn’t stop me from being one of the best spellers in my classes as I went through elementary school!
Even though my mom didn’t know English, she always sat me down on Thursday nights to practice spelling the words that would be on my weekly spelling test. I didn’t know it at the time, but the challenge represented what I would coming up against throughout my life, and the practice with mom modeled for me how to face them.
Throughout my life, I have consistently been one among the very few minorities/Latinos at the table. Whether it was in Honors/AP classes in high school, classrooms at Harvard, or school leadership in Houston, I have moments when I immediately recall the feelings I had in Kindergarten. Those of isolation, difference, and otherness. Then, I think about spelling practice with my mom to remember that hard work, deliberate practice, and determine will always steer me toward success.
Please tell us about YES Prep Public Schools.
YES Prep Gulfton is just one of the 19 schools that make up the YES Prep Public Schools system in Houston, Texas. All our schools are located in traditionally underserved communities, and we see it as our responsibility to help bring educational equity into their lives. Across the system, we believe that all students deserve the right to a high-quality public school education and that a student’s zip code shouldn’t determine access to opportunities.
We know we’re doing right by our students when we compare our performance against that of national, state, and city averages. About 9% of minority students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds graduate from a four-year college/university within six years, while our average is over 40%. We achieve these results by building a community around our students that is unrelenting about the limitless potential in our students to lead choice-filled lives. From the moment they step onto our campus, we set a high bar of expectations while also teaching them the knowledge and skills they’ll need to reach them.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
When I was a senior in high school and it was time to apply to college, I was stumped. I had done everything I was told would lead me to success but was lost on the college application process. I was valedictorian, student council president, Volunteer EMT, had a great SAT score, and an extensive list of extra-curricular activities.
I soon realized none of that mattered if I didn’t know how to package my achievements and sell myself to colleges. My school had guidance counselors – who oversaw credits and scheduling – but not any college counselors. I turned to the only person I thought could help on December 15th – my best friend, Normandy. He had just received an early decision acceptance notification and was willing to help me out.
For two weeks, I was put through a crash course in college applications – essays resumes, interview prep, and so much more. It was all worth it when my acceptance letters rolled in! I couldn’t believe I was headed to Harvard!
I can’t believe that experience may not had happened if not for a moment in 7th grade when a teacher sat us next to one another (because we got in trouble…). I always wonder what my life would have been like had we not been placed in those seats that day. Although I met all the qualifications by the time it was to apply for college, I didn’t have the knowledge about how to leverage them.
I had to rely on the luck I had been given years ago in 7th grade. Unfortunately, I’ve heard too many stories like that from people with similar backgrounds. That’s why I do the work I do. Nobody should have to hope for luck to come their way when they did everything they were supposed to.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6565 De Moss Dr, Houston, TX 77074
- Website: www.yesprep.org
- Personal Website: www.oscarreneromano.com
- School Website: gulfton.yesprep.org
- Email: oscar.romano@yesprep.org
- Phone: 713-967-9000
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yespreppublicschools/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yesprep/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/YESPrep
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