Meet Andrea Carvalho

Andrea Carvalho traces her passion for education back to a formative childhood experience. “My parents were immigrants from the Cape Ford Islands. They left me behind with my godmother for four years, while they worked multiple demanding factory jobs and lived in a cramped one-room basement apartment, so I could have access to more opportunity,” she says, reflectively. “Maybe it’s why I’ve never doubted that a quality education is the key to a more fulfilling life. And, as an undergraduate freshman, I also discovered my interest in community organizing and youth development.”

After more than five years of teaching, curriculum and program development, and helping create community-based education, college-readiness, and leadership initiatives for youth across Rhode Island through such organizations as Direct Action for Rights & Equality (DARE), Jobs with Justice (JwJ), the People’s School, and English for Action, Andrea eventually realized she wanted to teach in a classroom setting. “I was stunned by the low academic skills of many of the youth I worked with. Soon, I was dreaming of setting up an independent K–12 school to implement the lessons I’d learned through my own teaching, organizational, and program development efforts. The School Leadership Program was the ideal way to begin, because it provides a comprehensive
study of school reform and the leadership skills you need to bring about transformative change.

“I’ve been constantly challenged here to take intellectual risks … to push my thinking. This program offers incredible access to the opportunities, cutting-edge expertise, applied experiences, confidence, and camaraderie required for authentic learning and relationship building. I’m also astonished at how encouraging the HGSE community is of students who are parents. I have two young children, and the support of my professors, peers, and the staff has been amazing.”