Today, we are honored to profile the extraordinary Vanessa Garza, Executive Director, Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles.
Before math class even begins at Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles (GALS LA), students are already moving. Some stretch into yoga poses, while others run laps or join a Zumba session. The activity isn’t a break from learning, but an essential part of it.
Middle school can be tough for girls. GALS LA believes that starting the day with movement helps set a positive tone. The school intentionally teaches confidence, resilience, and leadership alongside core subjects like reading and math. Each morning begins with physical activity. Students then transition to the classroom, reinforcing the link between physical activity and academic success.
Through exposure to a variety of lifelong fitness activities, students at GALS develop healthy habits and build positive relationships with movement that can last well beyond their middle school years.
“You’ve got to be able to figure out your resiliency and how you’re going to push through obstacles in life,” said Vanessa Garza, GALS LA Executive Director.
This emphasis on movement and wellness goes beyond building character; it is also informed by the latest neuroscience.
“Why would you want to tackle math and science coursework if your brain isn’t awake and ready?” Vanessa said. “That’s very intentional. Physical activity has always been a core part of the GALS model because movement helps prepare students to learn.”
Vanessa has spent her career creating educational environments where young women develop the confidence, resilience, and self-advocacy skills needed to thrive, including the last decade leading GALS.
“For me, these are the most critical years that a single-gender program for young women would make the most difference because it is literally the turning point in their lives,” Vanessa said.
A Personal Mission
Vanessa’s commitment to this work is deeply personal. Raised in West Los Angeles by working-class union parents, Vanessa attended a private Catholic all-girls school from first grade through high school. Her mother was committed to providing educational opportunities, even when family circumstances made that difficult.
A first-generation college graduate, Vanessa attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where she began to understand education as a pathway for social change. As part of a community engagement program, she tutored local fourth-grade students and witnessed firsthand how school inequities shaped young people’s beliefs about themselves and their futures.
“Their spark was already gone,” Vanessa said.
The experience inspired her to pursue the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and Teach For America, first teaching in East Harlem and later returning to Los Angeles to serve students in Boyle Heights, where her mother grew up. Her experience in public education reinforced her desire to work alongside people who are deeply committed to doing what’s best for students every day.
Vanessa joined KIPP Los Angeles during its early growth years, serving as Dean of Curriculum and Instruction. She later held leadership roles as an assistant principal with Green Dot Public Schools and PUC Schools serving as Director of Teacher Development for Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. Across these positions, she gained experience in instructional leadership, school culture, and organizational growth, while also developing an appreciation for the importance of diversity in leadership.
By the time she was introduced to GALS LA founder Carrie Wagner, Vanessa had developed a clear vision for the kind of school she wanted to help build. She credits her all-girls education with helping her develop confidence and self-awareness. When she learned about the GALS model, she immediately recognized its potential.
Why Middle School Matters
“The statistics show that girls drop out of sports during middle school because their bodies are changing,” Vanessa said.
Research shows that girls’ participation in sports often declines during adolescence. By age 14, girls are dropping out of sports at higher rates than boys, often because of social pressures, body image concerns, cost barriers, and limited access to opportunities.
This is a phenomenon educators sometimes call the “girl pause.”
“When a teacher asks a question, they wait to hear the full question, process it, and then raise their hand,” she said. “Middle school boys are often the opposite— the question isn’t even finished, and their hand is already in the air.”
For Vanessa, that hesitation illustrates why middle school matters so much. It is a period when students begin deciding what risks they are willing to take, how they view themselves, and whether they believe their voices matter.
According to Vanessa, the years between ages 11 and 14 are uniquely important in helping young women build confidence, identity, and resilience.
Today, that mission is embodied in the GALS Pledge:
“I know who I am. I know that I matter. I know what matters to me.”
While many schools focus primarily on test scores and academic outcomes, the pledge is far more than a daily affirmation. Vanessa believes one of the most important responsibilities of a middle school is helping students develop a strong sense of self before the pressures of adolescence begin to shape their identities.
“How else can I make sure that our kids, the gals of GALS, can compete?” she said. “When we teach them those resiliency skills, it starts with knowing who you are.”
At GALS, students are taught to understand not only what they want to achieve, but who they are becoming. Vanessa sees this identity work as foundational to everything else.
“I can tell you every girl that crosses the stage at graduation in eighth grade can answer that for you,” she said. “And that is even more powerful than scores on a state test. That’s even more powerful than GPA. Because that’s where your resilience gets built. That’s where you can push through adversity and see yourself not just to college, but through college.”
She often points to former students who advocate for themselves, challenge assumptions about their abilities, pursue advanced coursework, and become the first in their families to attend college. To Vanessa, those moments represent the true measure of success.
“You don’t need to wait until you’re 30 or 40 to know your worth,” Vanessa said. “You can know it at 14, and I want to make sure you do.”
Expanding Opportunities Through Sport
GALS was recently selected as one of 26 recipients of the LA26 initiative and received $26,000 to support GALS RISE— Resilience in Soccer and Education. The grant eliminated financial barriers that often prevent girls in the community from participating in sports.
The funding also addresses challenges seen nationally. Research shows girls often face greater barriers to sports participation than boys, including cost, access, and fewer athletic opportunities.
Funding covered everything from coaching costs and equipment to personal necessities such as sports bras and hygiene products.
The initiative also expanded opportunities in the broader community through partnerships that created girls-only soccer teams for elementary and middle school students, giving young athletes opportunities that often do not exist in local recreation leagues.
Measuring Success Beyond Test Scores
Over the years, Vanessa has watched students arrive shy and hesitant, unsure of their abilities, and leave as confident young women willing to advocate for themselves. She has seen graduates pursue leadership opportunities, enroll in advanced coursework, and become the first in their families to attend college. Those transformations, she says, are among the school’s greatest successes.
Beyond student outcomes, representation remains central to Vanessa’s leadership philosophy. As a bilingual Mexican-American educator herself, Vanessa understands the importance of students seeing themselves reflected in leadership. Many students at GALS come from backgrounds similar to hers, and she is intentional about making sure they see leaders, mentors, and educators who reflect them.
“If you can see it, then you can dream it,” she said. “GALS was created for them.”
Creating a Culture of Belonging
That commitment extends to GALS’ approach to school culture. The school uses restorative practices, culturally responsive curriculum, and leadership development designed to affirm the identities of the Black and Latinx students it serves.
Vanessa works to ensure that partners and people who stand in front of GALS students reflect the community’s diversity. Staff and educators intentionally represent the student body, and GALS hosts programs and partnerships with other local charter networks, including ICEF and Equitas, creating opportunities to share and learn from the GALS model.
As Executive Director, she has raised more than $750,000, secured over $2.5 million in grants, and increased student enrollment by more than 20%. The community sees her vision.
Vanessa champions her students through an equity lens. According to her, much of the curriculum and many life-skills programs do not adequately reflect the experiences of people of color or take those experiences into consideration. As a result, GALS intentionally works to challenge and dismantle elements of prejudice, classism, and racism through its curriculum choices and commitment to an anti-racist culture.
She also believes that restorative practices are most effective when woven into a school’s daily culture rather than used only after harm has occurred.
“Sometimes, when you’ve been doing it for 10 years, you forget how unique it is,” Vanessa said. “Then colleagues visit and say, ‘I see literal joy on the girls’ faces. They are happy to be here.'”
That joy is visible in classrooms, hallways, and on the athletic field as students begin their day exercising. For Vanessa, every lap, every team practice, every classroom discussion ultimately serves a larger purpose. Long after students leave GALS, she hopes they carry with them the belief at the heart of the school’s mission.
When a girl knows her worth at 14, Vanessa believes there is little that can stand in her way.