Excel Opened Doors For Me

I want to share the story of how Excel opened doors for me – beginning with my very first week as a 6th grader at the former Orient Heights campus – and why I’m holding that door open for today’s students.

I still remember my first week at Excel.

Not the academics or the schedule: the sock requirements. Back then, uniform requirements were stricter – maybe too strict! It’s funny looking back on it today, but it was also my first glimpse of Excel’s culture: details matter, expectations matter, and we rise to meet them together.

Excel didn’t just tell us college was possible. They showed us.

As a 6th grader, I wasn’t thinking about college. But my teachers were, and they talked about it constantly. “College is a real possibility.” They didn’t say it as a dream. They said it like a plan. They took me on college visits and helped me think about different majors as early as middle school. That message changed my outlook. It taught me that success wasn’t luck; it was preparation, effort, and support. That lesson has shaped every step of my life.

Excel stuck with me after 8th grade. I worked with the College Access and Post-Secondary Success (CAPS) team through high school and college. The CAPS team kept in touch through high school and beyond, helping guide me toward college and eventually earning my degree. Those relationships have stuck, as they’ve supported me in nearly every step of my personal and professional life. I’ve even had chances to cheer them on. A few years ago I was on the course to cheer my counselor Ms. Repp as she took on the Boston Marathon. Those connections taught me what community looks like, and I’ve tried to live that out in my own career.

Today, I am the Director of Constituent Services in the City Manager’s Office for the City of Chelsea.

I assist residents with issues ranging from food security to medical bills to navigating city services to coastal resiliency. The work changes every day, but the goal is the same: support everybody and anybody who needs help.

During COVID, and now, in response to changes in SNAP and other federal policies, I’ve seen our community come together in ways I’ll always be proud of. That spirit of collaboration, compassion, and service is the same one Excel instilled in me.

And that’s why I joined Excel’s Board of Trustees.

In 2021, I was doing a lot of emergency response work, and the chance to support Excel at a higher level felt aligned with my values.

Being on the Board has opened my eyes to the bigger picture: academic data, operational challenges, staffing needs, and the real-time decisions that shape a school year. I sit on the Academic Oversight Committee with leaders who bring deep experience from across Massachusetts, including the Superintendent of Salem Public Schools and the Principal of the Eliot Boston Public Innovation School. Together we dig into what’s working, what needs to improve, and how to support kids and staff better. What I appreciate most is Excel’s transparency: celebrating victories, naming uncertainties honestly, and making decisions based on both data and values. It has made me a better leader in my own career.

I’m 30 now.

The proof is in the pudding: Excel alumni are thriving. My classmates and I are now building families, leading teams, and building careers none of us could have imagined at age 11. That’s what Excel makes possible.

Excel opened the door. Now I’m holding it open for others. With more resources and more opportunities, every new class will go even further than we did. So now it’s our turn to step up in a bigger support role, by giving back when we’re able with our time or, for many of us, financially.