Miguel Solis: "I want to change something."

When Miguel Solis was growing up, his father — a lifelong educator — told him the key to the American Dream was an education. And so it came as no surprise that Miguel decided to join Teach For America after college and taught eighth-grade U.S. History in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. This experience gave him the skills to tackle his next big challenge: running for school board.

“I had a lot of people tell me maybe now was not my time to run for school board," Miguel said.” Many people remarked that he “needed a little bit more seasoning, a little more grooming, but you know what—there are too many inequities, there’s too many things to be done, and I need to do something about that now." At 27, Miguel became the youngest school board member ever elected to the Dallas Independent School Board of Trustees.

Miguel quickly became a voice for underrepresented students in one of the largest school districts in the country. With his leadership, the board implemented the first early childhood education policy in the history of Dallas Independent School District (ISD), bringing new opportunities to 30,000-40,000 children over the course of the next 10-15 years.

“Every day, Dallas ISD students are heading off to schools across the city, ready to tackle another day of classes believing that their education will lead to a life of unlimited possibilities," Miguel said. "Making sure that their hopes and dreams become reality is our responsibility.”

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