Mercedes McCurley
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER
Mercedes was born and raised in Cali, Colombia where she developed a love of learning from a very young age. Her father Gustavo, an avid reader, instilled in all of his children the desire to acquire knowledge for knowledge’s sake. For Mercedes, education was a joyful experience and school was a place of belonging. As her children entered the school system in Texas, Mercedes had the expectation that they would experience a similar sense of joy and belonging. She was disappointed to learn that the experience of her children, the children of an immigrant mother, would feel very different from her own. From that time on, Mercedes knew that her calling was to create educational spaces for children to flourish. She had to protect her own children and children in her community from the harm caused by institutional biases.
Mercedes started her career in education teaching Pre-k and went on to teach elementary school for over 10 years in Texas. In 2004 she and her husband moved to North Carolina to be closer to one of their children who was attending UNC-Chapel Hill at the time. In 2005 Mercedes began working for DPS as a long-term substitute in the Dual Bilingual program, and in 2006 she transitioned to the role of DPS Parent Liaison where she would spend the next 15 years supporting children and their immigrant families. Her goal was and continues to be getting children of immigrants what they need to succeed in an educational system that consistently fails children of color. Mercedes is a true optimist and a champion of public education. It is her belief that collectively we can transform the school system into a space where all children feel a sense of belonging, where childrens’ innate desire for knowledge is respected and celebrated.