Today we’d like to introduce you to Lea Ann Munkres and Stephane Rovelo.
Hi Lea and Stephane, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Stephane Rovelo
Like many great stories, my journey has ended up right where it began, here at Richland Collegiate High School! As a younger man, I begrudgingly left North Mesquite High School to attend RCHS my junior year of high school. It was difficult for me to leave my friends behind and enter into a new setting, but after overcoming my initial discomfort I came to love the campus and the new friends that I had made, even to the point of meeting my eventual wife! I graduated from RCHS in 2010 with my associate degree and left to UNT at 17-years-old with two years of college under my belt. I started attending UNT as someone only focused on making money and earning prestige, but two semesters of math and science courses quickly taught me that passion goes a long way towards success. I graduated from UNT at 20 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Strategic Communications and began the work of fulfilling my money-motivated mindset. Fast forward a few years and I found myself burnt out and ready for a chance, so I made a *small* career change and moved to South Korea to teach English to students anywhere from Pre-K to 6th grade. Upon returning to the U.S. my first teaching job was right back at RCHS! I set the goal of serving as a Principal someday, so I left RCHS to earn experience in a more traditional public school before returning to be the Assistant Principal!
Lea Ann Munkres
My path to becoming the principal at Richland Collegiate High School has been a journey, not a destination. My journey began when I graduated high school and was the first person in my family to attend college. I grew up in a small East Texas town and knew I wanted to attend college, but, the one thing I lacked was guidance from my parents and school. I always like fashion so I decided that would be my field of study and career. That was until I had to take a sewing class in college. Without the guidance or road map to college success, I was going nowhere. I decided to drop out of college and go to work. My parents always believed in me and encouraged me to take classes at Northeast Texas Community College while I was working a full-time job. There, I received the support and motivation I needed to complete my degree. I fell in love with the community college atmosphere and knew I had found my career path. I moved to the DFW area in 2000 and began working at Dallas College, formerly Richland College. I worked with 18-21-year-old students who had dropped out of high school and wanted to obtain their GED and workforce training. While attending an off-campus work event, I overheard Vice President David Canine talking about opening a charter school at Dallas College, Richland Campus. This piqued my interest and I told him when he decided to hire employees to please consider me for a position within the high school. A year later, I received a phone call from David, asking if I was still interested in working at RCHS. I began as an Academic Advisor and moved to Director of Student Services and Principal. I get to work with students daily and guide them, while they are still in high school, towards college and workforce readiness. Students can graduate high school while attaining a college degree with zero debt. RCHS changes the lives of those who attend whether they are headed to college or a career. Working at RCHS has been the greatest achievement of my career. As I tell my students, it’s not where you’ve been or where you’re going but where you are now. I am proud to be their principal at RCHS because it is often the first step many Dallas County students take into the world of higher education. In partnership with local high schools, Dallas College offers college courses taught by approved adjunct instructors to qualified high school students for college credit, at a network of high schools that are embedded across Dallas College’s seven campuses. The “dual-credit” students are able to earn credit for both the high school class as well as earning college credit at the same time. These college credits from Dallas College often cost less and are transferable to other institutions of higher education such as any one of the transfer partners with whom we have an arrangement.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Rovelo:
There have been plenty of stumbling blocks along my journey. The most obvious has been adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, I was working on my master’s degree, teaching hybrid Science classes, raising small children, and navigating the complex nature of my wife’s job as a nurse in the COVID unit of her hospital. Struggling through the management of this reality pushed me to realize that I either needed to adapt or suffer. This period of intense learning and adjustment has served as one of the most challenging aspects of the past couple years but has also become one of the strengths that I bring with me to RCHS every day.
Munkres:
As with most things in life that are worth pursuing, my road has been filled with challenges and obstacles. On a personal level, it took me eight years to obtain my bachelor’s degree and another 12 years to obtain my advanced degree while working a full-time job. During that time, I suffered tremendous loss when my husband was killed in a car accident and I was left to raise two girls while pursuing my education. Career-wise, opening a full dual credit charter school on a college campus came with its own challenges. Convincing faculty that high school students could perform as well as traditional students; integrating The Higher Education Coordinating Board with The Texas Education Agency rules and regulations while remaining compliant; recruiting students; and convincing parents that the program was really free.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Early College High Schools at Dallas College play a key role in the transition of high school students to college, through Dallas College’s hands-on engagement with feeder schools. Like Richland Collegiate High School, these collegiate high schools are purposefully designed to serve incoming high school students determined to attend college. Since joining RCHS in 2006, I’ve seen Richland Collegiate grow to serve an increasingly diverse and far-reaching student population. Our students only attend 11 and 12th grades and are working toward an associate’s degree. It’s been exciting to see interest in RCHS grow as it becomes and inextricable resource for the community we serve. Part of this increased interest can be attributed to Dallas College’s emphasis on career-connected learning, which puts high school graduates in a position to “enroll in a career” through their college education. We partner with almost 200 high schools from Independent School Districts, charter and private schools in the Dallas County region to offer dual-credit courses to approximately 30,000 students annually. These partnerships also lead to paid internships while pursuing a high school diploma.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Rovelo: I am currently reading Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard and I could not recommend it enough. During car rides, you can typically find me listening to the BibleProject Podcast where I realign my mindset and reflect on how to best care for others.
Munkres:
I am an avid reader. I love the Joe Pickett Series which is based on a Wyoming game warden. Brené Brown is another favorite author of mine. I believe some of my greatest lessons were learned in failure. Her discussions on vulnerability, courage, and worthiness are a must for anyone working in education.
I recently began listening to the podcast Leaning into Leadership by Dr. Darrin Peppard. The podcast is dedicated to cultivating leaders by elevating the voices of leaders and promoting positivity.
For aspiring high school students in Dallas, I’d of course like them to check out Richland Collegiate to see if it’s an option for them. We accept applications year-round and I would encourage any student who wants to get a jump on college and a career to apply.
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