We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephane Rovelo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stephane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Texas ranks second for largest population and cultural and ethnic diversity in the U.S. Over 33% of its population speaks a language other than English. What we are seeing is a continued shift in the diversity and expectations of our student body that can’t be addressed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Texas has undeniably made strides in providing opportunities and services to students with different needs and we need to ensure that educational services are keeping up with our changing population. Educational systems must continually analyze the needs of their populations and adapt their practices to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career. Ensuring that educational opportunities are available to all in the community and also working to create pathways from those opportunities into the workforce will help to ensure not only that positive outcomes are available but also that our educational systems ultimately lead to work prospects and the flourishing of our communities.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Stephane Rovelo and I serve as the Principal of Richland Collegiate High School. I started in education back in 2015 when I moved to South Korea to teach English. Upon returning to the states I started working as a part-time instructor for RCHS before eventually teaching full-time in Garland ISD. After obtaining my Principal certification I returned to RCHS in 2021! Richland Collegiate High School is an amazing program that provides Juniors and Seniors the opportunity to graduate high school with an associate’s degree. Since I graduated from RCHS in 2010, the number of schools in the Dallas area offering dual credit but these opportunities usually require students to start as freshman or take credits that don’t always align with completing an associate’s degree. I am proud to be a part of an experienced, open enrollment organization that provides incredible opportunities to high school students in the community at no cost.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up I had always learned that “good things come to those who wait.” There seemed to be a lot of wisdom in that for me as I taught myself to be patient independent of the circumstances. I felt that this mantra applied to all aspects of life but I was certainly in for a reality check. Through my years working in education I have learned that sometimes I need to adhere to strict deadlines (and hold others to those strict deadlines) as it takes a community to build up students and a community that works together with well-defined expectations has a more realistic chance of success in this endeavor. Now as I continue my journey in learning I work to make sure that expectations are realistic and timelines are meaningful!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My first job after graduating for UNT was working for a small marketing firm for a few years. I gradually felt my appreciation for the craft slipping and spent some time reflecting on my stage of life. At that time I certainly felt a sense of obligation to the company and had to weigh my current perspectives against the possible perspectives of an older version of myself. Would I be grateful in 20 years for staying at the company? Is this even the career I want? Would money be the most important metric by which I judged personal satisfaction? I eventually came to realize that I had an opportunity to pivot from my current path and move into unknown territory that couldn’t be wasted. One day I would have a wife and kids and these types of changes would be much more challenging! Before you know it I was off to South Korea to teach English at private school. My goal at that time was to push myself into unfamiliar territory and see what opportunities I could make for myself. I did not initially think I would stay in education long term but working with students eventually captured my heart and mind and I haven’t looked back since.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dallascollege.edu/high-school-students/rchs/pages/default.aspx
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rchsthunderducks/
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• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rchs?lang=en