Sara-Maria Menendez: “Leading Inclusive and Bilingual Education Excellence”

Title: Principal
Organization: San Bruno Park School District
Age: 35

Sara-Maria Menendez is a bilingual educator with 15 years of experience in elementary and university settings. She served as a kindergarten teacher, adjunct professor, program director, and currently as principal. Her strengths include ELL instruction, curriculum design, and community engagement. Her upbringing as a Salvadoran-American shaped her belief in education as a tool for equity and empowerment.

She champions inclusive leadership, community advocacy, and culturally responsive practices that transformed her school into a Community School before Community Schools became a California State Department of Education initiative. She understands the power of collaboration, partnerships, and relationships. As an educational leader of a historically marginalized school, she doesn’t understand what her students and staff need, she knows.

Throughout her work, she leads with the belief that every student and staff member brings unique strengths shaped by their lived experiences, and that those differences make our communities stronger, she makes everyone feel seen and supported. She approaches this work through equity, cultural, and restorative lenses, grounded in empathy, accountability, and a deep respect for people’s stories. She strives to listen first, build trust, and create spaces where everyone feels they belong. She truly believes our ethnicities are our strengths, not weaknesses. She carries that mindset into every decision and interaction.

Her work is rooted in collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and a genuine commitment to expanding opportunities for all students.