Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana is continuing to grow and expand its ability to support schools providing quality, values-based education to children in the Region. A key part of that growth is the addition of new team members such as Jessica Gonzalez, who boasts a wealth of experience in education and a strong commitment to supporting teachers and students across Northwest Indiana.
Gonzalez is the assistant director of academics and instructional coaching for Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana. She joined the team about a year ago, coming from a 13-year-long career as a teacher and administrator at varios schools within the Diocese of Gary. However, education was not her original career path. She had studied psychology and Spanish in college, earning bachelor’s degrees in both subjects from Loyola University. A career in counseling seemed likely, but an opportunity in education quickly came knocking.
“A position opened up at Bishop Noll Institute and my mom knew one of the parents there,” Gonzalez said. “Long story short, she said I should apply there and see what happens. I was able to get the job and teach Spanish, with the caveat that I had to get an emergency teaching permit before going back to get my teaching license. That led me to pursue my master’s in secondary education and teaching.”
Eventually, she went from teaching Spanish to serving as Bishop Noll’s assistant principal after Principal Lorenza Jara Pastrick suggested she take an administrative role. She went back to school again and secured an administrative license from Indiana State University.
It was not long before her skillset and talents were noticed once again. The superintendent of the Catholic Diocese of Gary encouraged her to apply for the principal position at St. John the Baptist in Whiting. She applied and landed the job.
“My whole career in education has been driven by people saying I should try this or that,” Gonzalez said. “I think of it as these people seeing something in me that I didn’t see for myself at the time.”
When she wrapped up her work at St. John the Baptist in 2023, she found herself at a crossroads. There were opportunities to continue teaching or administrating, but she found herself drawn to instructional coaching – helping teachers become educational leaders within their own schools.
That interest lined up well with Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana, which at the time was rapidly growing its academics and instructional coaching initiatives. She was already quite familiar with the organization thanks to her time with the Diocese of Gary, as Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana had worked with her many times to help with everything from marketing and enrollment to leadership development. Her history with the organization stretches back even further, to when she was an elementary school student in Chicago.
“I attended two Big Shoulders Fund schools, so I knew about the organization and how wonderful it can be for schools,” she said. “I was excited and started forming relationships with team members here, such as Dan Kozlowski, Gisele Jones, and Dr. Mia Jones. Eric Roldan, who is within the marketing and enrollment team, is actually one of my former students while I was at Bishop Noll.”
In 2024, she started working with Dr. Jones, director of academics and instructional coaching, on a part-time basis. That soon blossomed into a full-time role as assistant director, where she works directly with teachers to shape them into instructional coaches – teachers who help teachers. She works with the first cohort of individuals who have been a part of the coaching program for three years, and are now practicing as instructional coaches within their schools.
“I go into schools and observe these coaches as they’re doing professional development and coaching sessions,” Gonzalez said. “I also coach our teachers within the Diocese in what are called six-week coaching cycles. Those are when a principal reaches out or a teacher needs additional help.”
Another initiative Gonzalez is excited for is called Essentials for Excellent Teaching, a program for new teachers that coaches classroom management, lesson planning, and other key skills.
“I’m so blessed that I’ve worked in the Diocese of Gary for so many years, I already know a majority of the principals and so many of the teachers,” she said. “Being able to work directly with those teachers and students to improve student outcomes is amazing. The best part of my week is when I’m in a school building. I love traveling from school to school, meeting with teachers and students, and helping those teachers improve their craft as educators.”
Her own experience as an educator within the Diocese also gives her further perspective on the importance of an organization such as Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana.
“I know how hard it can be for teachers to get the extra support they need, sometimes they’re the only teacher for their grade level at a school,” she said. “I really love being there for them and helping with whatever they need. Big Shoulders Fund is so important because we’re able to tailor our support to individual schools and teachers. We can put boots on the ground and identify what a school’s needs are and assist as best we can.”
To learn more about Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana and how it is supporting teachers and students around the Region, visit bigshouldersfund.org/nwi.
