Jessica started in Horizons at Colorado Academy in 2022 as a third-grade student. She has been an active participant of Horizons since that time, dedicating every summer to the program for 21 years. In ninth grade, after having gone through the Horizons at Colorado Academy program as a student, Jessica moved up from volunteer, to intern, to assistant teacher, to lead pre-kindergarten teacher, to community liaison and is now the current site director. In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Horizons Hero of the Year Award by the Horizons Colorado Executive Board of Directors.
Jessica is dedicated to the community she grew up in and has worked closely with different community organizations to provide quality education and opportunities for students and their families. She has worked directly with schools to encourage family participation and parent involvement in their students’ education.
Since 2020, Jessica has served on the Horizons Colorado Executive Board and is part of the strategic planning committee. Prior to working year-round with Horizons, Jessica was a teacher at Knapp Elementary, the elementary school she attended as a child and the primary feeder school for Horizons Colorado. In 2021, she earned her bachelor’s in early childhood education with a minor in human development and family studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Jessica has been a respected leader within the community and an advocate for English language learners.