Keyla Santisteban

Honestly, I have to give a lot of credit to my mother. She came to this country looking for new opportunities, and she’s always had such a strong work ethic and determined mindset. Growing up, it was never really “we can’t do this.” It was always, “Okay… how are we going to make this happen?” That mentality stayed with me.

Watching her push through challenges, adapt, and keep moving forward taught me to approach life the same way. I think that resilience and willingness to find solutions instead of focusing on limitations has shaped who I am, both personally and professionally.

One of the best pieces of career advice I’ve received, and honestly something I’m still learning myself, is that it’s okay to evolve. We’re constantly growing, learning, and becoming different versions of ourselves, and I think sometimes people put pressure on themselves to stay in one lane forever.

I worked in public education for over 12 years, and for a long time I kept trying to make certain environments work because I cared so deeply about the students and the work itself. But eventually I realized it wasn’t that I didn’t love education, I just needed a different environment that aligned better with who I was becoming.

I think as human beings we’re naturally curious. We want to explore, create, and continue discovering ourselves. When people feel stuck for too long without growth or purpose, that’s often when burnout and resentment start to happen. For me, I want to keep learning, keep evolving, and feel excited about the work I’m doing. I want to wake up and genuinely want to show up for my career and for the people I work with.

I think right now, with how uncertain the world feels, a lot of people are scared to take risks or change direction. But honestly, some of the most important moments in life happen when you take that leap of faith, even when you have no idea how things are going to turn out.

At the end of the day, every experience teaches us something and leads us somewhere, even if it wasn’t part of the original plan. I actually thought I was going to go to law school for a long time. I remember taking the LSAT, and the person sitting next to me started hyperventilating from stress, and something in me just clicked. I literally got up and walked out because I realized, “I don’t want this to be my life.”

As much as I respected that path and thought I wanted it, I realized I didn’t want to live in a constant state of stress and pressure. Walking away felt terrifying at the time, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It pushed me toward a career and life that felt more aligned with who I actually am.

So I think it’s important to trust yourself and take that leap of faith, even if it's scary.

There have definitely been both challenges and exciting opportunities recently. One of the biggest changes has been the tremendous growth in the number of families seeking support and educational services. We’ve seen a significant increase in parents reaching out for resources, intervention, and individualized support for their children, which reflects a growing awareness around learning differences, neurodivergence, and mental health.

At the same time, I think society has become much more open-minded and compassionate regarding disabilities and mental health, especially after the pandemic. Families are having conversations that, years ago, many people were afraid to have. I work with students with a wide range of learning differences and developmental needs, and I’ve noticed that many parents are beginning to recognize parts of themselves in their children’s experiences. I’ve had parents share things like, “I think I may have been dyslexic growing up,” or adults discovering later in life that they may also be neurodivergent.

It has been incredibly fulfilling to witness not only students gaining confidence and support, but also families developing a deeper understanding of themselves and mental health as a whole. I truly believe we are moving toward a more inclusive and empathetic world where people feel more comfortable seeking help, advocating for their needs, and embracing different ways of learning and thinking.

Collaboration is really important to me because I genuinely love learning from other people. I work in a very team-oriented environment where we’re constantly sharing ideas, building off each other, and trying different approaches. Sometimes an idea works, sometimes it completely flops, but honestly that’s part of the process and part of what makes collaboration so valuable. You grow so much when you’re open to other perspectives and willing to experiment a little.

I also really value pushing myself to try new things, even when they scare me. That’s actually how I got into improv. A lot of people are surprised when I say this, but I can actually be a pretty shy person sometimes. Improv forced me to step outside of my comfort zone, trust myself more, and stop being so afraid of making mistakes.

A big reason I do that is because of my students. I never want to tell kids to be brave, take risks, or try something new if I’m not willing to do those things myself. I think it’s important for them to see that growth comes from being uncomfortable sometimes, and that it’s okay to not be perfect while you’re learning.