Her Story
About Jeanine
Jeanine Henriquez began her career path after pivoting from nursing school prerequisites at Florida State University. After having her first child and taking time off, she took an Intro to Education course that sparked her passion for teaching. She completed her bachelor's in exceptional student education at Miami Dade College in two years and immediately pursued a master's in curriculum and instruction at American College of Education to influence more students. Now in her 12th year in education and fifth year as an instructional coach, Jeanine supports teachers across a school of 1,200 students. Her expertise centers on ensuring learning gains for all, especially the lowest 25% through the MTSS process, which led to a 62% improvement in growth data. She holds certifications in Apple Classroom, MTSS, ESOL, and reading. Jeanine attributes her success to her mentor, principal Carrie Boone, who provided guidance and shared vision. She values honesty, transparency, and kindness in her work and personal life, and advises following intuition while recognizing that challenging days are followed by rewarding ones.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jeanine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having a strong mentor, my principal Carrie Boone, who had been an instructional coach for many years. She was always there for me with her door open, helping me through everything I could possibly think of. Having someone with the same vision and focus helped mold me into the type of leader I wanted to be.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's going to be hard days for sure, but the good days are going to make it all worth it. Follow your gut when it comes to education. The more you're in it, the more you'll understand it. Always follow your intuition, whether it's helping a student, checking in on a teacher, or making a career change. Know that the hard days will always be followed by good days that make them worth it.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in education is trying to stay student-centered in a system that has become very business-centered. There are many people making big decisions who have never been in a classroom or haven't been in one for 15 years. Priorities have shifted from student achievement and growth to enrollment and red carpet services for parents. The struggle is balancing keeping the bigwigs happy with enrollment while never forgetting what's most important for the students.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and transparency are most important to me in both work and personal life. One of the worst things is walking out of a room and not knowing what's being said about you. I value always being honest and transparent with people, but also leading with kindness so you can have hard conversations without hurting feelings or saying unnecessary things.
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