Krystal Rosa Named Dayton Business Journal’s 2024 Leader in Diversity Awards Honoree
Krystal Rosa, English Learner Services coordinator, has been named an honoree for Dayton Business Journal’s 2024 Leader in Diversity Awards. According to an Aug. 27, 2024 article published by the paper, the award honors individuals “who have shown outstanding initiative to promote diversity and inclusion, either in their organization or community, making a positive difference in others’ lives through contributions to social justice, equality and diversity.”
“We are so proud of Krystal and what she has brought to CJ. Her professional expertise in supporting English Language Learners and their families is well known around the Dayton region and beyond,” said Greg Mueller, principal. “She is an educator who constantly searches for new ways to connect with students and ensure that every student feels like he or she belongs in the EL community at CJ. Congratulations, Krystal, on a well-deserved honor!”
Rosa was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to the United States at 18 to pursue her college education. She admits that she struggled with her college courses that were taught in English.
“I felt overwhelmed with my limited English skills, so I enrolled in English as a second language (ESL) classes,” she said. “During my college years, I experienced firsthand the difficulty of acquiring a new language and understanding abstract concepts such as jokes and idioms, which can take four to seven years to master. This experience as a struggling English learner became my motivation to help other English as second language students and their families.”
After graduating from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania as a Spanish major, Rosa moved to Dayton and began working as the Hispanic outreach program assistant at Springfield City Schools. There she provided academic support and built a network of community resources for Spanish-speaking families in the area. In 2016, her program received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education through the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.
In January 2021, Rosa began working at Chaminade Julienne, where she helped create a program designed to help meet the needs of English language learners. Her goal was to support them in mastering English and reaching their academic potential, and to equip them with essential skills for life beyond high school. This thoughtful approach has led to remarkable growth in the program, which has more than doubled in size since 2021.
Rosa’s unwavering commitment to addressing students’ individual language needs stems from her belief in the transformative power of personalized education and her passion for helping each student reach their full potential. She collaborates with teachers and staff at Chaminade Julienne, the only Catholic high school in the Dayton area, with an English Learners program. Through this program, she has seen students build relationships, succeed in classes they once struggled, and even become U.S. citizens.
“My goal is to provide students with an exceptional experience while in high school. I do this by trying to create a welcoming environment, fostering a sense of community and belonging, and emphasizing their strengths,” Rosa said. “I design targeted lessons to address their weaknesses with strategies tailored to their unique language needs.”
Rosa continually seeks ways to enhance services for English Learners and their families. As an advocate for students’ education, she actively looks for opportunities such as College Credit Plus classes to motivate students to continue their education beyond high school. She collaborates with Wright State University, referring students to their Latino Center summer program to connect them with a university and inspire a desire for higher education. Rosa also serves as a board member at El Puente. This non-profit organization bridges Latino students and families to academic success, well-being, and greater integration into the Dayton community. Since 2019, Rosa has collaborated with Warm Hugs, a non-profit organization that provides blankets symbolizing a warm welcome to Hispanic and refugee children in need.
Rosa’s ongoing professional development highlights her dedication to improving and expanding support for English Language Learners and their families, driven by her own experiences and her understanding of the essential skills needed in high school for these students’ language acquisition and overall success. In 2022, she participated in the ENL Hernandez Fellows at the University of Notre Dame, a program designed to deepen educators’ expertise in teaching linguistically diverse students. In the summer of 2024, she attended the Adelante conference at the University of Notre Dame to learn strategies for promoting family and community engagement for English Learners.
“Mrs. Rosa is great at teaching and really cares about her students,” said Shahzad Anwari ‘26, one of her 52 EL students. “She helps us build our basic language skills and makes sure each student gets the help they need to improve our English.”