_{Gus (right) is KIPP Esperanza’s Athletic Director, he is sitting with Eddie Whiteside (left | KIPP Esperanza 2026 graduate)}

Sports were always connected to the way I experienced school. I come from a family of educators where both my mother and grandmother were teachers, so academics were also important in our home. Growing up in Sunnyvale during the Bay Area’s tech boom, learning and innovation was part of the community around me, too. I still remember the yellow building down the street across from my elementary school later becoming an Apple campus.

Looking back, I realize I was fortunate to have adults who supported my education, and I had coaches and teammates who helped me grow outside the classroom. It was a mixture of those experiences that shaped the kind of educator I wanted to become.

Before joining KIPP, I spent ten years as an after school teacher in Brooklyn. Some of my favorite memories came from creating a space where students had the chance to explore interests they might not have discovered during the school day. I taught gardening and urban farming, helping students understand where food comes from while encouraging healthy eating and active living. Those years reminded me that learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends. Sometimes the most meaningful lessons happen when students are simply given the space to explore, create, and connect with others.

When I found KIPP Esperanza, which opened in fall 2020, I was thrilled by the opportunity to build an Athletics program from the ground up. I knew I wanted to be part of creating something that students could be proud of for years to come.

Building our Athletics program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. In just our first two years after students returned from the pandemic, we filled varsity boys and girls teams during every athletic season. That accomplishment allowed KIPP Esperanza to join the Private Schools Athletic League (PSAL), creating opportunities for our student athletes to compete and represent their school in ways that had never existed before.

Every season, I see students walk into tryouts feeling nervous and unsure of themselves. Over time, I watch them build confidence through practices, celebrate one another after games, and discover they’re part of something bigger than themselves. Eddie Whiteside embodied this. He joined our basketball team four years ago and brought a positive attitude to school and to practice. He would practice everyday and would continue to get better and earn more playing time. And when his senior year came, helped the entire Division 5 (based on school size) in California for most points per game. From him walking onto our court 4 years ago as a new player, to lead the division was truly incredible. He brought so many KIPP Esperanza students to games filled with school pride. That’s why we’ve built our program around opportunity. If a student commits to showing up, working hard, and being a supportive teammate, they have a place on our team. I believe every student deserves the chance to experience what being on a team can teach them.

We’re continuing to grow that vision every year. This school year we’re adding wrestling and girls flag football, creating even more opportunities for students to discover activities they’re excited about. We’re also hosting our second annual East Palo Alto Classic Basketball Tournament for Division 5 schools, bringing together eight boys teams and eight girls teams from similarly sized schools to compete on a more level playing field. It’s become another way to celebrate and invest in student athletes while strengthening connections across our community.

I also get the opportunity to work with the Athletic Directors of our other KIPP high schools. We meet regularly to learn from one another, share ideas, and think about what it means to create a great athletic experience across our schools. Every campus is different, but we all share the same goal: ensuring students have meaningful opportunities to grow through athletics. I feel so lucky to have so many seasoned Athletic Directors in our cohort and we get the opportunity to lean on each other and that feels amazing.

Just as high school is about more than academics, student athletics is about more than winning. I always tell my students: I hope you remember all of the positive experiences with your teammates. You will forget the number of games won, but you will remember the feelings you had being on your team.