Monalisa Chadha, assistant principal at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation, has a message for young women: “girls, you’re engineers by nature. Don’t let anyone say otherwise.” “My goal is to motivate girls to follow their passions and make a positive impact by providing them with the chances I didn’t have growing up,” Chadha said. “I think education changes lives and I want to be part of the change.” Chadha said she grew up in a small town with limited opportunities, so she grabbed every chance she could to learn, and discovered her love of teaching. As a woman…

Written by Communications Services junior associate, Chandler Flowers The school buildings that make up Dallas ISD all started from a design plan, and this summer students learned all about that process by working with the Construction Services Department. “This is our second year having interns in our program,” said Nikki Grant, executive assistant at Construction Services. “Our executive director, Michael Garcia, and chief of construction, Brent Alfred, were contacted by Micheal Gange and I worked to arrange the program. We’ve been going strong ever since.” This year, Grant brought in Joe Flores, contract manager for Construction Services, to instruct the…

Written by Communication Servies Junior Associate, Chandler Flowers Every time a flight is taken, many things happen behind the scenes to help the journey go smoothly. This summer, Dallas ISD partnered with the Commemorative Air Force to create an internship for students in Skyline High School’s aviation program. “I visited the CAF during one of their promotional events and was able to speak to many of their representatives,” said Erik Thomas, head of the aviation program at Skyline High School. “We came up with the idea of the internship then.” The aviation program starts in the ninth grade by learning…

Being a member of the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy at A. Maceo Smith choir is more than a chance to sing – it creates community. “My main goal is to ensure that every young man who enters my room feels accepted and appreciated and leaves each day knowing that someone loves them, cares for them, and values their contribution to the group,” said Dustin Barksdale, choir director. “I firmly believe that a child’s entire trajectory can be changed by knowing that someone believes in them.” His efforts don’t go unnoticed. “I love the environment because it truly feels like…