I carry Abuelita Juanita with me into this work every day, just as I carry my grandmother and my mother. They are my reminder that the paths we build today become the legacies our children will walk tomorrow. And I can think of no greater honor than helping light the way.
This story starts with Juanita Echeveria. My Abuelita Juanita was my great-grandmother. I know what you’re thinking: don’t people call their first grandmother abuelita? Yes, you’re right. But Abuelita Juanita has a ring to it, and for me, that was enough.
I start with her because she is one of the most influential women in my life, and every single thing worth learning in my life has come from a woman, and a woman of color at that. I hope this story honors all those women, both past and yet to come, because after all, I’m made of little parts of all the women I’ve ever loved and been loved by.
In Puerto Rican culture, mothers are central to the family unit. Since our Indigenous roots as Taínos, our culture has been matriarchal and rooted in the strength of the extended family. The grandmas, the aunts, the great-grandmas held a lot of say and sway in the ecosystem of their homes.
Juanita, daughter of Ramona Corchada and Juan Soto Rivera, raised nine children in the 1940s landscape of Puerto Rico and sent every single one of them to college. Of those nine children, seven were daughters, and she was adamant that they receive a college education, not just to expand their knowledge but to have choice. To have agency. To have the power to shape their own lives. Though she would have scoffed if you had called her a feminist, she knew she wanted choice for her daughters. She wanted them not to be told or assumed into anything, and never to be victims of their own lives. And so, my Abuelita Juanita, though she never knew it, was one of my first teachers.
Her story lives in me. She was on my mind when I decided to become a teacher and changed my major in college. I think of her when I see a young child pick up a book all by themselves. I see her in all the abuelas and tías who are proud and emotional each Senior Signing Day. I see her in my grandmother, who was a third-grade English teacher for 30 years and who, like Juanita, taught me a love of reading. And I see her in my own mother, whose drive for social impact and educational excellence has shaped my hopes and dreams.
My mother taught me what it meant to be a scholar long before I understood how scholarship would shape my own life. The power of education, its ability to expand access, restore agency, and unlock possibility, has been etched into my identity ever since. Watching her pursue multiple postgraduate degrees with unwavering determination showed me how storytelling, discipline, and conviction can change the trajectory of a life. I am my mother’s daughter, and also the product of my Abuelita Juanita and my grandmother, carrying the love of learning and passion for community they each passed down to me into this work.
I began my career teaching elementary students in Wayne County, Ohio, where I served Title I schools with over 80 percent of students living below the poverty line and many families navigating housing and food insecurity, incarceration, and drug addiction. My teaching philosophy has always centered on creating an environment where students feel strong, loved, and heard. I knew that agency, dignity, and belonging were as essential to learning as literacy and numeracy. To partner effectively with families and drive rigorous instruction, I centered cultural responsiveness, deep relationships, and the belief that every child carries extraordinary potential.
That belief in people, in their capacity to grow, to lead, and to open doors for others, is what fuels my work today at Rocky Mountain Prep. I see that same spirit reflected in so many of our Latina/o leaders across the network. We are educators, advisors, principals, and directors who bring both professional expertise and lived experience to this work. We carry the legacies, the hopes, and the dreams of our ancestors with us each day, and we move through this work knowing we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We see the quiet resilience in our students who are breaking new ground and feel the fierce love of families who are entrusting us with their children’s dreams.
At Rocky Mountain Prep, our mission is to democratize college access, and Latina/o leaders are at the heart of that work. We walk alongside families as trusted guides, breaking down barriers and illuminating pathways that may feel out of reach. Because we can often share in their stories, languages, and hopes, we can build the trust and partnership needed to help students step boldly into their futures. Our presence signals to every scholar that they belong in spaces where scholarship and opportunities exist, and my work is to make sure that those spaces are ready to receive them.
Lexi Pacheco
Director of Community Inclusion
As Director of Community Inclusion at RMP, Lexi Pacheco leads efforts to ensure every student and family feels seen, heard, and valued. She builds culturally responsive systems and partnerships that strengthen belonging, elevate diverse voices, and expand access to educational opportunities across the network.