Career Path of a Principal at The SEED School of Los Angeles County
Natale's career path began with four years at UCLA Brewing Corps, transitioning into three years as a Teach for America middle school math teacher in Baltimore, and also included teaching incarcerated students. This experience led to further teaching roles in various states, culminating in assistant principal and now principal positions, a journey Natale describes as "a long journey" dedicated to supporting "children and their academic development."
Education, Teaching, Nonprofit, Career Progression, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Natale Mejia
Principal
The SEED School of Los Angeles County
UCLA Class 2010
The Johns Hopkins University, Class of 2013, MsEd. in Urban Education; USC, Class of 2020, Ed.D in Educational Leadership
Ethnic & Related Studies
Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Natale's career started with tutoring in college, demonstrating early commitment to education.
2. Their experience with Teach for America provided valuable middle school teaching experience.
3. Progression through various roles—from teacher to assistant principal to principal—highlights a clear career path in education leadership.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experience in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Yes, at UCLA, I had the opportunity to work for UCLA Brewing Corps. This is a tutoring program that works at community centers or school sites.
I was with Brewing Corps for four years: two years as a direct tutor and two years as a program coordinator following graduation. I then joined Teach for America, where I was placed as a middle school math teacher in Baltimore, Maryland.
There, I taught sixth-grade math for three years. That was a lot of fun. During this time, I took on additional volunteer roles, including being an adjunct professor at the state prison.
I was able to teach everything from Algebra 1 to calculus. I worked with students who were not currently incarcerated to help them get their GED so they could go on to get their associate's or bachelor's degrees.
So, I did Brewing Corps and Teach for America directly as a middle school teacher. Then I moved into prison teaching and continued as a teacher in multiple states, working with different charter schools. From there, I moved into an assistant principal role, and now I hold the position of principal.
I've been doing this for about 12 or 13 years. It's been a long journey to this point, but all of my experiences have been in education. I've either volunteered or worked full-time to support children and their academic development.