Wyoming — New Wyoming Junior High School Principal Mike Perez’s story about finding his path to a career in education began in childhood.
Perez grew up in Los Angeles until he was 15, when his family moved to Dallas, Texas. He graduated from an alternative high school after falling a bit behind, he said. He never had college in mind.
“It was never anything we talked about,” Perez recalled. “People are shocked by this: I remember two field trips when I was in elementary, and they were both to prisons. … I literally remember them putting us in a cell, and I was like, ‘This is so bizarre.’”
He met his future wife at age 18 while waiting tables. She was a college student. “I remember her saying, ‘You should go to college.’ It really didn’t resonate with me, but I started to think about it.”
He enrolled in his early 20s and got his degree at 29. After beginning with marketing as a major, he switched to education. He had reflected on moments in his own youth that his school could have done better, he said.
He thought, “Maybe I could be that somebody that could make things better.”
‘I don’t think anything can move forward without input from others … One way to capture student voice is getting to their level and seeing eye-to-eye with them.’
– Mike Perez, Wyoming Junior High School principal
Read on to discover more about Perez:
Other positions you have held in education:
- Principal, Burton Elementary School, Grand Rapids Public Schools, six years
- Assistant principal, Westwood Middle School, two years
- Several positions at The Potter’s House, Grand Rapids, including assistant principal, technology director, dean of student work and high school history teacher.
What about jobs outside education? “A lot of waiting tables and bartending. I’ve done trade jobs … I worked at a nursing home and in home health care … I worked with my dad in construction.”
Education/degrees:
- Secondary education degree with a major in Spanish and minor in history, Grand Valley State University
- Master’s in educational leadership, Cornerstone University
What would you like to share about your family? “My wife, Kristy, and I have six daughters, ages 28 to 13: Natalie, Isabel, Alyssa, Emma, Addison, Ellianne, and three grandsons.”
Name three great things about going into K-12 education:
- “I think the relationships I get to build … Man, we can do so much (in) being able to impact someone and equip them to be successful in life.”
- “There’s never a dull moment, in particular, as an administrator. I do like that variety. Some days everything is just as it should be, and the next day nothing is as it should be. It keeps me on my toes and keeps me sharp. I like going through those experiences with people. My life experience (has given me) the ability to guide people through that.”
- “I really enjoy casting vision. Even now, getting ready for this new adventure, (I’m thinking) ‘How do I capture the narrative of the year into a story?’ I get a lot of joy out of that.”
How will you encourage student voice in your building? Perez said he is passionate about listening to feedback to questions such as: “What do you like about school? What is not going well? How can I help?”
“I don’t think anything can move forward without input from others,” he said. “At times, people want to live in silos. One way to capture student voice is getting to their level and seeing eye-to-eye with them in the sense of ‘We are going to have fun together.’ … That immediately gives them accessibility to say, ‘I can talk directly to Mr. Perez, the principal.’”
Describe your leadership style in seven words or less: “Open, accessible, fun, strong, willing to learn.”
And a fun question: Describe your perfect sandwich: “It’s the sandwich I make, a Cubano: It’s sweet and salty and crunchy. It has pork, ham and Swiss cheese. (And) you have to put on buttermilk pickles.”
OK, one more fun one. I hear students call you MVP. Why is that? “My name is Mike Vasquez Perez. I tease the kids that this is who I am. I put it as my signature. El Presidente as well.”
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