Family Engagement Specialist

Ana K. Gonzalez is a specialized Latine educator from Chicago, Illinois whose work centers on
educational equity, social justice, and collaborative advocacy. Ana utilizes intentional
relationship-building to co-create safe spaces for youth that aim to disrupt oppressive systems
and practices. Her collaborative advocacy is rooted in amplifying the voices of familial
stakeholders to promote students’ social emotional and academic success. She is joining the
RISE community as the Family Engagement Specialist!

While working as an educator in Chicago Public Schools, she founded a girl identifying after
school empowerment club (I Am/Yo Soy) for middle school students, and most recently founded
an anti-bias and anti-racist teacher collective in the West Colfax neighborhood as a Denver
Public Schools teacher. Ana holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Women’s and
Gender Studies, and a Master’s degree in Education with a Learning Behavioral Specialist I
Endorsement.

When she is not collaborating with her team, Ana enjoys curating playlists, reading, making art,
and spending quality time with her Havanese Luna.

What is Your Why?
My why, in education, is our collective liberation.

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”― Angela Davis