Adriana Mata

Adriana Mata always wanted to work for Edgewood “because of the strong civil rights background they have.” When her educator profile for Edgewood ISD was made, she was a first grade educator in the Gardendale Early Learning Program. The profile also looks back at the district’s 1968 student walkout.

A typical day at Gardendale, she says, begins with a morning meeting that helps the kids get acclimated. She lets them know what their day will look like. Then come literacy, small groups and outdoor learning, and they begin wrapping up the day with a very strong focus on writing.

It was really difficult, she says, when they first added first and second grade to the program at Gardendale, because they were “kind of building from the ground up.” That hard work reminded her who she’s doing it for and why. “I absolutely love this community and they deserve the best that I can give them.”

Winning the Leader of the P.A.C. award, an honor given by Edgewood ISD, affirms that her work matters and that it’s acknowledged, she says. She wishes people knew how Edgewood keeps striving for equity and justice for its kids, “because that’s work that’s never finished.” She also credits her team and her administration for their support. “It really is a community here,” she says.

Carlos Javier, pixelreflex MEDIA’s chief creative officer, produced this video under contract with Edgewood ISD and was solely responsible for creating and delivering it.