AnnMarie Burgess

I attribute my success to faith, perseverance, and staying true to my why. Everything begins with faith and a belief that greater things are possible. As a first-generation college graduate who went on to earn a master's degree, I understand that perseverance, faith, and education can break generational barriers. I had a pretty rough childhood, and no one really encouraged me to do anything, but I was big in faith, and that's what drove me forward. My mom told me, 'what you want to do and what God has for you is two different things,' and that foundation has guided me throughout my career. I've had to break generational curses and not let what I endured as a young child be part of my journey. As a woman of color, I've been the only woman, the only woman of color on my floor, and I've had two things against me. But I don't give in to the emotions that come with that. You have to have your inner why, that perseverance of saying, 'I might be the only woman, I might be the only woman of color, but this is what I'm good at.' When I walk in a room, I own the room with what I bring to the table. There's not been any place I've gone where they did not feel that impact. They know I have a job, they know I have a goal, and I don't give up on it. At the end of the day, it's about these kids. If you put your political views and everything to the side and focus on what we're here for, which are the students, you're gonna win every time.

The most important advice I ever received came from my mom, who told me, 'Anne-Marie, what you want to do and what God has for you is two different things.' That lesson changed everything for me. I had planned to go into the medical field, but when I had my daughter, my path shifted toward teaching. My mom's words helped me understand that sometimes our purpose is different from what we initially envision, and we have to be open to where faith leads us. That foundation of believing that greater things are possible, even when they look different from our original plans, has guided me throughout my entire 25-year career. It taught me to trust in something bigger than my own plans and to stay open to the doors that God opens, even when they're unexpected.

You have to follow your heart. You have to be very reflective and understand that education has changed so much over the last few years. You can't get caught into society's view of what education is. If your passion is to go and really be influential to these young students, you have to be driven by the heart. You have to be driven by nothing but compassion. Because if you're going into it for money, if you're going into it for any other reasons, that's really going to create roadblocks and not give you any room for error as you start your career. You need to follow your heart and know, 'hey, you know what? I wanted to do this, but this might not be the path. What else can I do?' There are so many other things you can do in education. Always keep networking and always keep your mind open to change with society. You have to be confident. As women, we have a lot of roadblocks. I'm a woman of color, so I have two things against me - not only am I a woman, I'm a woman of color. There are a lot of barriers that I've had to break down, and I've done it by staying true to what my why is. I've been in situations where I was the only woman, the only woman of color on my floor. If you give in to the emotions that come behind that, then you're not going to be successful. You have to have your inner why, that perseverance of not giving up. When I walk in that room, I own the room with what I bring to the table, and you have to have that same confidence in yourself.

The obstacles are definitely there. As women, we have a lot of roadblocks, and as a woman of color, I have two things against me - not only am I a woman, I'm a woman of color. There are a lot of barriers that I've had to break down throughout my career. I've been in situations where I was the only woman, and just in the last two years, I was the only woman of color on my floor. Those are real challenges that women face in education and STEM. But the opportunities are tremendous. Women in STEM, and particularly girls in STEM, is just now starting to get more visibility and equity. I'm a big advocate for girls in STEM - that's what led me to do my master's in that area. I was part of the If Then collection showcasing women in STEM, and that led me to work with the Young Women's Leadership Academy, an all-girls school. The opportunity to be influential to young students, especially girls, and help them see themselves in STEM careers is incredible. Over my 25 years, I've had a lot of my girls go on to pursue engineering careers, and my recent 5th graders got accepted into STEM programs. That's the real opportunity - helping the next generation, especially girls and students from underrepresented backgrounds, break through those same barriers and see what's possible for them.

Faith, family, compassion, empathy, and advocacy are at the center of everything I do. My daughter is one of my greatest inspirations - she's the reason I made the transition from pursuing medicine to teaching. When I had her, I needed a Plan B that would allow me to be there for her while still making an impact. She turned out to be a STEM girl herself, working in the medical field and programming computers naturally. I'm big on community and working with families, getting them resources they're not privy to. The last two years, I've not only taught the general education population but also our homeless students, providing those families with resources they wouldn't normally have. Those kids showed tremendous growth, and that's what drives me. I'm passionate about breaking generational curses - I'm a first-generation college graduate who went on to earn a master's degree, and I don't let what I endured as a young child become part of my journey going forward. At the end of the day, it's about these kids. My principal said that when I started on his campus, the culture changed and shifted immediately. Community members come in asking for me by name because they know I'm there to help. I'm learning about work-life balance - it was just last year at an IB World School that I really heard what it means to have work-life balance. I've given a lot to the profession, not leaving work until 8 o'clock, being there for kids who didn't have parents at home. Those were my babies. I'm working on that balance now, but I never allowed challenges in my personal life to impact what I did when I walked through those doors to be in front of those kids.