Shauntai Hicks, M.Ed.

I would say definitely my family. It really does take an incredible support system and my family has been my light. My husband has been my biggest cheerleader, even since college, always pushing and supporting me, even sometimes taking a lesser role professionally, so that way I can achieve and support, and he can support with our children. That really means a lot to me. He pours into my dreams, and that's one reason why I'm motivated to do my best, because he believes in me. I would also say my second and third grade teacher, Ms. Veal. She was the one that told me that I can do and be anything. I remember in college, I found her - we had an opportunity where we had to write to one of our former teachers and tell them about the career we were going in, and why they believed in us, and what kind of educator we wanted to be. Though she is not in education anymore, it was just really inspiring to find her, and I even found her on Facebook. She doesn't know how she really changed my life, and I always tell people it only takes one adult. Think about it, that was over 20-something years ago. It just takes one adult to take the time to care about you, to notice you. And then my old high school principal, Miss Leslie Swan. She was the first female principal of my high school, and that pushes me to further my aspirations, because that's my ultimate goal, to be a high school principal.

The most impactful advice I ever received came from Ms. Veal, my elementary teacher, who told me that I could do and become anything I set my mind to. That message stayed with me throughout my academic journey and continues to guide me as a leader. It taught me to believe in my potential even when challenges arise.

I would just say, don't ever give up. There are a lot of times where you might feel discouraged, where your team might not see the vision, your team might be upset, but just stick true to your goals, stick true to what you want to do. I think what I always do is make myself a 5-year plan - where do I want to be in 5 years, what are the steps I need to take? And then I'm just unapologetic about it. What does that mean? Whether it's moving on to a different campus, or whether me earning a different certification, going to makeup classes, whatever I want to do, making a 5-year plan. I would say also, don't let your circumstances just determine your future. I've been through a lot of things personally and professionally, and I just always say school was my way out. I got a full-ride scholarship to University of Texas at Austin. My mom did not go to college. Those things didn't happen, but it was really up to me. Education was my way out. When I knew that I was and could be successful, and I was capable, that pushes me to strive, because I know that now that I have two young daughters, they're depending on me to guide them, support them, and they have me to look back on to see what I can accomplish - and they have way more than I ever had.

One of the biggest challenges in education is leading campuses through accountability demands while maintaining strong culture, instructional quality, and staff morale. Balancing the needs of students, families, and educators requires constant decision-making under pressure. At the same time, there are significant opportunities to strengthen systems that support teachers, improve instructional consistency, and ensure equitable access to high-quality education for all students.

I think there are so many values that are important to me. Being committed - committed to just my goals, committed to the goal, committed to my purpose. I think another thing I bring is integrity, and when I'm thinking about integrity, it's doing what's right, even when it's hard. Equity is also important - just making sure all the kids get what they need, not just the same. That's one thing that I am fighting for on my campus. I think also empathy - understanding people before judging them, because I wasn't always at this place, or I wasn't always a reflective person, I used to be very reactive. So just trying to understand and seek understanding before I make assumptions. I think it's also consistency, trying to create clear stability, because I know what it's like when you do not have stability, whether it's professionally or personally. And resilience - I would say between resilience and tenacity, I don't know which one I would want to be my middle name more. Just pushing through the challenges and modeling perseverance, even when things get hard, because it's not easy being a school leader, it's not easy being a woman, it's not easy being a mother. You have to push through.