Good day, CharterFolk.
Today we are pleased to share a follow up Contributor Column from Mercy Herrera, the Founder of Equip Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
We provide a bio for Mercy below.
Mercy L. Herrera is a native New Mexican with a fierce commitment to equipping historically-underserved students to find their passion, pursue their dreams, and live out their potential. Over the past decade, she has taught and led in some of the highest-performing charter schools in the nation. Now, she is bringing those experiences back to her home state to design and lead an exceptional school in Albuquerque, Equip Academy of New Mexico. She’s been an educator, teacher trainer, school leader, and educational advocate for staff and students. She is passionate about coaching and supporting teachers to reach their personal and professional goals. Through dynamic and well executed professional development, Mercy empowers teachers with new information and impactful learning experiences. A specialist in team development, Mercy facilitates group engagements that leave colleagues feeling refreshed and energized with renewed vision and purpose. Mercy trains teachers on how to combine a data-driven approach with a focus on social-emotional learning to drive better student outcomes. She works has to support teachers in creating and sustaining environments that are inclusive and holistic. Moreover, drawing on years of experience, Mercy has a particular knack for solving complex problems and building systems and infrastructure to sustain growth and success. She holds a B.A. from UNM and two M.A. degrees, one from Yale University and the other from Pace University in the Science of Teaching.
CharterFolk readers will remember that Mercy shared a Contributor Column with us in January about the transformative support she is receiving through LEAL, Latino Leaders Advancing Leadership, an organization whose origins can be traced back to a CharterFolk Contributor Column published early in 2021.
We live in crazy times. Through it all, the quest for ever more representative leadership in the charter school movement continues to advance. Special thanks to Mercy and all those connected to LEAL for their steady, determined work.
Reflection: El Camino and Its Importance to Latina Charter Leaders
El Camino represents a much-needed space for Latina charter leaders to reconnect with their authentic selves, foster community, and heal the wounds often inflicted by navigating predominantly white spaces in leadership roles. For me, the significance of this program lies in its unique ability to offer a culturally affirming environment that centers on our unique shared experiences as Latinos. It’s a journey of healing, liberation, and growth that allows us to lead with impact and authenticity.
As a Chicana, Native New Mexican and someone who has spent much of my life and career in environments where Latinas are underrepresented, I recognize the profound value of connecting with a community that reflects my identity. My experiences in predominantly white institutions—from high school to Yale University and even in my nearly decade of teaching/leading in charter schools across NYC—taught me resilience but also made me acutely aware of the challenges we face as Latinas in spaces that weren’t built with us in mind. These spaces, while formative, often leave us questioning parts of ourselves or suppressing aspects of our culture in order to be accepted.
This connection is especially important in New Mexico, a state with a deep and rich Hispanic heritage. It’s imperative for leadership to reflect the communities being served, particularly in education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2017–18 data, only 12.3% of charter school leaders identified as Hispanic, and 8.6% in district schools – despite Latino students being the largest demographic served by charter schools nationwide. Programs dedicated to recruiting, supporting, and retaining Latino leaders are essential to fostering diversity and ensuring educational leadership reflects the communities served. As a Latina charter leader in Albuquerque, I understand the importance of representation and its role in fostering trust and belonging. My work as founder and head of school of Equip Academy of New Mexico, which will predominantly serve Hispanic students, embodies this commitment. These students deserve leaders who see and value their cultural identities while preparing them for a world beyond academics and their immediate community.
Programs like El Camino provide the antidote to those experiences. They offer what I’ve long yearned for: a community of leaders who share not just similar backgrounds but also a deep understanding of the cultural nuances and systemic challenges we face. This type of community reminds me of an immersive experience I once had during a Hispanic Summer Program (HSP) in Puerto Rico in 2012. For the first time, I felt entirely seen, heard, and supported in a way that went beyond professional growth—it was healing and provided the opportunity to harness our shared power through our native roots collectively. That same sense of belonging and empowerment is what I see in El Camino. Community and affinity-based programs like these shouldn’t be so few and far between.
The Denver convening encapsulates the essence of what makes El Camino (the walking paths/pilgrimage) special. It began with building community, a foundational step for creating trust and belonging among leaders. The ceremonial elements ground us in our shared heritage and experiences, setting the stage for deeper personal and professional growth. Through sessions on storytelling, leadership vision, and regenerative leadership models, we are equipped with tools to not only grow ourselves but to uplift our communities. This holistic approach—melding healing, strategy, and connection—is transformative.
The impact of El Camino extends far beyond the individual participants. It’s a ripple effect. When leaders like us return to our schools and organizations, we bring back not just new strategies but a renewed sense of purpose and identity. We become catalysts for change, fostering environments where students, families, and staff feel seen and valued for who they are.
For Latina charter leaders, programs like El Camino are not just important; they are essential. They address the systemic underrepresentation of Latinos in leadership by empowering us to rise, to heal, and to lead authentically. They remind us that our voices matter, that our experiences are valid, and that our leadership is necessary.
El Camino isn’t just a program—it’s a movement. A movement to heal ourselves, liberate our potential, and grow into leaders capable of creating a more equitable and inclusive future for the communities we serve. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and honored to walk this path alongside other incredible caminantes. Together, we will lead with purpose and with continued coaching from Latino/a leaders in the field, offering continued support creating lasting change.
Stephanie Campos, a first generation Latina of Puerto Rican descent and Principal of Enlace Academy …
… reflects on her transformative experience with El Camino, highlighting the program’s role in empowering Latina leaders in predominantly white leadership spaces. Her decision to join was driven by a commitment to representation, authenticity, and healing. She acknowledged the isolation and tokenization often felt by leaders of color and emphasized the need for community to support her leadership journey.
Participating in El Camino made her feel seen, heard, and affirmed, helping to combat imposter syndrome. The first convening reinforced the power of collective strength, as she realized she was not alone and that many other impactful Latina leaders are driving change in education. The experience’s “secret sauce” lay in embracing vulnerability and being open to growth, even when it required stepping outside her comfort zone.
Campos underscores the necessity of El Camino to challenge leadership structures that weren’t built with Latina leaders in mind. The program provides a space for healing, empowerment, and inspiration, enabling leaders to foster change while surrounded by others who share and understand their unique experiences.
Laura Rodriguez, an Alumni Success Coach at Noble Schools …
… shares her heartfelt reflection on joining El Camino, emphasizing its holistic approach to leadership development and healing. She viewed becoming a Caminante as a purposeful step in her journey, aligning perfectly with her personal healing process that began a few years ago. Drawn to El Camino’s focus on creating safe spaces for BIPOC leaders, she sought a community that truly understands the challenges of navigating white-dominated spaces, including microaggressions, racism, sexism, and other systemic oppressions.
For Rodriguez, El Camino’s importance lies in its ability to provide grounding, affirmation, and connection. She describes her first session as spiritually enriching, feeling deeply connected to her ancestors and her community. El Camino offered a much-needed environment for storytelling, bonding, and intentional healing activities, helping participants heal from the exhaustion of underrepresentation and systemic barriers. She passionately asserts that healing through spaces like El Camino is essential for Latina leaders to preserve and share their wisdom, culture, and knowledge while building a more equitable future.
My Why and Why Equip Academy of New Mexico
Equip Academy of New Mexico embodies a transformative vision for education: to serve as a beacon of representation, equity, and empowerment for Hispanic communities, particularly students who deserve leaders who see, affirm, and champion their identities. My work within Equip Academy is deeply intertwined with this mission. It reflects my personal and professional journey as a Latina leader navigating spaces that often overlooked our voices but shaped my resilience and purpose.
Through Equip Academy, I aim to amplify my impact by leading with authenticity, informed by the values of cultural affirmation and community healing. The Academy provides an opportunity to address systemic inequities in education by centering the unique needs and aspirations of Hispanic students. This alignment allows my work to become a conduit for empowering not just students but also families and educators to collectively envision and achieve a more inclusive future.
Equip Academy differentiates itself by intertwining education with healing and empowerment. It recognizes that systemic challenges require approaches that extend beyond academics, fostering trust, belonging, and resilience within the school community. By leading Equip Academy, I am not only investing in the students and families of New Mexico but also elevating my own journey as a steward of cultural identity, equity, and liberation. The work is both a reflection of and a tribute to the transformative power of initiatives like El Camino—where leadership is a pathway to healing, empowerment, and change.
Call to Action: Support and Expand Transformative Leadership Programs
The voices, experiences, and leadership of Latina charter leaders are essential in creating equitable, culturally affirming educational spaces. Programs like El Camino provide Latino/a leaders with the community, healing, and empowerment necessary to navigate and transform systems not designed with them in mind.
At Equip Academy of New Mexico, we take this mission further, grounding education in cultural pride, community-centered leadership, and holistic development for Hispanic students. This work reflects the ripple effect of initiatives like El Camino: healing ourselves to lead with authenticity and uplifting the communities we serve.
Join us in championing initiatives like El Camino and Equip Academy. By investing in leaders who reflect and empower their communities, we can build a future where every student feels seen, valued, and prepared to thrive. Together, let’s foster spaces of belonging and empowerment for generations to come.
Take action today—whether through advocacy, support, or partnership—to amplify the impact of programs that transform leadership, education, and lives. Let us commit to supporting and expanding programs like El Camino that empower Latino/a leaders to heal, rise, and lead with authenticity—because when we invest in leaders who reflect and uplift their communities, we create a stronger, more equitable future for us all.