Guided by a Mission to Serve
Ericka Olivarez is guided by a mission to serve as part of a diverse community of learners and leaders striving to ensure that all students have equitable access to educational experiences that will help them succeed. She has dedicated her career in education to growing and empowering others, serving as a teacher, instructional curriculum and assessment specialist, academic dean, district content coordinator and a district leadership specialist. Forever a teacher, she believes that the best way to create a community of leaders is to create a truly equitable environment where all stakeholders are empowered to explore, question, collaborate, and problem-solve in a supportive environment.
A first-generation college graduate, Ericka Olivarez earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington, as well as a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and English Literature from St. Mary’s University of San Antonio. She leads and serves on various state, city and district committees dedicated to building culturally responsive schools where all students and staff are healthy, safe, supported, engaged and challenged.
CAST Teach Will Empower Future Educators
CAST Teach will be an innovative high school of choice for future educators, in partnership with Northside ISD, UTSA College of Education and Human Development and CAST Schools. The school presents a unique opportunity to develop and empower its students, so that they in turn, as future educators, have a bigger impact on generations to come. Opening in August of 2022, the CAST Teach High School will not only ensure students have a strong foundation in educational practices, but it will also provide experiences in schools – side by side with mentor educators, coaches, counselors, and librarians.
Mrs. Olivarez’s goal is that our future educators will find their love and passion for this work. In her own words,
“This is an opportunity unlike any other – to shape the future of public school education.”
