Bruce Blake: My commitment to being a social service provider began eleven years ago ironically, as a means to pay for art school. Serving individuals with developmental disabilities has been both life altering and a wonderful reciprocal learning experience. My undergraduate BFA and Graduate MBA admittedly are non-traditional tracks towards an educational doctorate degree. Conversely, my impeccable work history, along with social skills to effectively promote change, have given me the foundation to erect an accessible educational leadership framework that supports the community I serve. Bruce Blake's autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 12 minutes, 46.3MB)
	Mark Cerasale: I was born on October 19, 1956 in Meriden, Connecticut.  My elementary through high school years were spent in the Meriden Public School System.  I graduated from Orville H. Platt High School on June 17, 1974.  One week later, I found myself at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy undergoing basic training.  I was sworn into the U.S. Coast Guard on June 24, 1974. Mark Cerasale's autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 7 minutes, 26MB)
	Martha Chang: I am currently an assistant principal at Howard D. McMillan Middle School in Miami, Florida. I am also a graduate student with the Urban Special Education Project at the University of Central Florida. At this point, I think I'm doing a great job as an assistant principal, but a poor job as a student. My goal this summer is to get back in the groove of being a student and excelling as a student as well as an assistant principal. I just found my first home. I hope to move in this summer too. Interview Video (wmv file, 6 minutes, 23.7MB)
	Margaret Cox: I am currently a special education teacher in the Miami-Dade County school system, teaching 4th - 6th grade inclusion classes. I have been in the field of education for thirty-five years. My beginnings are thousands of miles from the United States on the tiny island of Barbados in the West Indies. It is here that my desire to teach began. I "played" teacher with my younger cousins practically all summer, making my own materials and creating my own report cards. Margaret Cox's autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 5 minutes, 18 MB)
	Anna Diaz: Since June of 2004 year Anna D. Diaz has served as Associate Superintendent of Exceptional Education and Multilingual Services for Orange County Public Schools. She oversees programs for over 64,000 students. Prior to that she was the Executive Area Director for the West Learning Community for Orange County Public Schools. She was born Anna Angelica Delgado in Brooklyn, New York, on October 2, 1959. Her grandfather, from Yauco, Puerto Rico, came to this country as a tomato picker in New Jersey; he brought his wife and seven children to settle in New York. Anna was the first of her family to graduate from college. Anna Diaz's autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 8 minutes, 30MB)
	Milagros Rivera: I am the eldest daughter of Blanca and Fernando Fernandez. I was born in Queens, New York but raised in Brooklyn. My parents always instilled in me and my three sisters the importance of a good education. My parents worked hard so we could attend Catholic school. My parents made sure that we learned both Spanish and English. My mother was an English Language Learner, but she made sure she sat down with me when I had to do my homework. I believe my mother learned a lot of her English doing homework with all of us. She would play nursery rhymes to us on the record player before we went to sleep at night. She always bought us books. She even got us the Highlights Magazine. My mother did not realize it, but this was when she started teaching. She stayed at home with us until we were all in school and then she went to work at Dr. Betances Day Care Center as a teacher's aide. There she was encouraged to go back to school and get her GED. She took classes at night and eventually started attending La Guardia Community College. My mother inspired me to want to work with children. I would go to the day care after school and eventually started working there during the summer when I was in high school. Milagros Rivera's autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 6 minutes, 21MB)
	Kimberly Steinke: When I was in my first year of college, I wanted to be a fashion designer. However, because my father was a teacher and basketball coach I spent a lot of my time keeping his score book for games. Through my observations of his teams I watched one specific year as one of his players (JT) struggled to stay on the team because of his poor academic and behavior skills in the classroom. It was at that time that I decided I wanted to do something to help students like JT be successful. I researched teaching options and was led to the field of special education. Kimberly Steinke's autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 6 minutes, 20.1MB)
	Maria Vazquez: I did not pick my profession, rather it picked me. I was attending Sunday mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida. I was seated in the very last row of pews on the right side of the church. During the priest's homily, I dozed off and had what some would call a vision. I saw myself at teaching at Villa Madonna School, my old elementary school. I don't know how to quite explain what happened next other than divine intervention. I was currently at the end of my junior year at the University of South Florida as a Chemical Engineering Major. Monday morning I went to the University's College of Education and met with Dr. Marsha Schwartz. She and I discussed my sudden career change. After our long talk, I had a sketch of what my next 18months of course work would be. I changed majors and have never looked back. I graduated in the fall of 1984. Maria Vasquez's autobiography
	Ilene Wilkins: Two of my mother's favorite memories are of me as a 5 year old bringing the local kids around to “play school” or the image of me and my box at the library that I used to carry all the books I would lug home.   Although these traits have manifested itself in many different ways through my life, there always remained the common thread of a love for children and a passion for learning. Ilene Wilkins autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 9 minutes, 7.12MB)
	Karen Uhle: Although I always knew I wanted a career that helped children, quite honestly I grew up with the thought that I would be a pediatric nurse. My father was a pediatrician, and my mother a pediatric nurse, and they both thought my personality and temperament was better suited to being a doctor rather than a nurse. After some heartfelt struggles with this decision, I decided to help children by becoming a teacher. Karen Uhle  autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 9 minutes, 6.20MB)
	Tom Uhle: It seems that I always knew the answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I can remember as a child telling people that someday I would be a teacher in a program for children with emotional and behavioral disabilities. This was the job that both of my parents had, and I hoped to do the same some day. Tom Uhle autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 9 minutes, 5.97MB)
	Lorrie Butler: I have been an educator for about twenty-four years. During this time, I have been an elementary school teacher, curriculum resource teacher, assistant principal and am now serving as the principal of an elementary school. I don’t remember a certain point in my life when I had not thought of education as a possible career. I do know that the first time that I returned to an elementary school classroom as a requirement of an introduction to education class, I knew that I had made the right choice. Being there and working with the students made me feel as if I had returned home. Lorrie Butler  autobiography Interview Video (wmv file, 9 minutes, 14.6MB)
	Gabriel Berrio: I have officially been in education since 1993, but actually began working with students as a summer tutor for the Chicago Public Schools after finishing 8th grade.  I tutored students in Reading, Math, and Science each summer until I graduated from High School.  This experience inspired me to become a teacher.  I had many other jobs, and none gave me the fulfillment that teaching did.  I taught for 7 years and became interested in administration after moving to Florida.  As it turned out, I loved the experience.  My first year as an Assistant Principal in 2003 was truly a learning experience and I have not stopped learning since.  I am currently a middle school Principal and I know that education will be my lifelong passion.  As I work on my doctorate degree through the NUSELI grant, I hope to not only learn but to contribute to what has given me so much-education. Interview Video (wmv file, 9 minutes, 7.12MB)