Her Story
About Zonja
I have dedicated 25 years to education, beginning my career as a teacher and advancing through positions as dean of students, resident principal, and assistant principal. Since July 2023, I have served as a turnaround principal with the City of Memphis, leading a school through a remarkable transformation. The school had previously transitioned from public to charter, and I drove down from Charlotte to bring it back to the public school system. In just two and a half years, we have seen monumental growth, taking the school from a level 1 (the lowest in the state) to a level 4. I have built transformative partnerships with organizations like St. Jude, Nike, the Memphis Grizzlies, local churches, and private schools who sponsor everything from golf programs to field trips, tutoring, camps, and family support. We created entirely new facilities including a science lab, STEM lab, library, and garden, essentially transforming the school into a private school inside of a public school. Our scholars, who are in an urban setting and often do not get opportunities to leave their neighborhood, now have access to experiences that change their lives. Our work has been featured on the news and in magazines, and we have gone viral several times. We have been honored to partner with everyone from the mayor's office to celebrities, including a cast member from the Michael Jackson movie. I am very, very proud of what we have accomplished together as a team.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Zonja
01What do you attribute your success to?
The greatest piece of advice I have received is definitely the impact of working as a team. This isn't about me, but rather how do you galvanize a team and support an entire city. That good old saying of we can do more together is very, very important, because it takes more than one person. It has literally been a team of people between the staff at the school, to the city, to the residents who basically live where the kids are, to a little bit of everyone who has really, really dug their hands in and has truly helped to make the difference there. So, teamwork is everything.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The greatest piece of advice I have received is definitely the impact of working as a team. This isn't about me, but rather how do you galvanize a team and support an entire city. That good old saying of we can do more together is very, very important, because it takes more than one person. It has literally been a team of people between the staff at the school, to the city, to the residents who basically live where the kids are, to a little bit of everyone who has really, really dug their hands in and has truly helped to make the difference there. Teamwork is everything.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
A main challenge is really, really thinking about the resources and being able to partner. That was a challenge when bringing back a school that needed a lot of love, because it was charter. Thinking about everything that we have actually done was a challenge, from other resources to the partnerships. Another challenge is having the resources to support our families. We are just truly, truly thankful that we have a lot of help, and we have been able to overcome those challenges because of the other sponsors and other partnerships that we do have.
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