Nice to Meet Ya: Marisa Grijalva

Dripping Springs ISD is one name at the top of the list when looking for a school district with an excellent educational reputation. Its seven schools are sought after and the growth of the community is proof that the district is well respected.

The DSISD School Board members are unique and of diverse opinions, reflecting the ever growing community and those it serves. The first Latina elected to the board is a well-respected professional in early childhood, an educator with experience in social work.

“I work part-time as a Reading Interventionist at Baldwin Elementary School in Austin. I have over 14 years experience as an educator in both public and private elementary schools. Prior to becoming a teacher I was a social worker and public speaker providing services for the aging population. I also worked as a case-manager for Any Baby Can,” DSISD Trustee Marisa Grijalva said.

Grijalva was born and raised in El Paso and one of her most memorable moments there is graduating from college. She was the first in her family to go to college, and worked full time to put herself through school. Grijalva graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a B.A. in Social Work and received her educational certification from Region XIII. Her emphasis was in Early Childhood and Bilingual Education. She has also had training in Dyslexia (Basic Language Skills).

“My family and I moved to Dripping Springs in 2012 specifically for the school district. We focused on Rooster Springs and the neighborhood of Belterra. Upon our move I interviewed for a teaching position and was hired for Dripping Springs Elementary (DSE). Working at DSE allowed me the opportunity to meet people who were “original” to Dripping Springs.” Her daughters also joined her at DSE instead of attending Rooster Springs Elementary in the neighborhood. “It was the best decision I could have ever made.”

Working in the district and living here made it easy to meet new neighbors and friends. “My appreciation for Dripping Springs and the tight knit community feeling was what I wanted for my family and didn’t even know it. The people of “Dripping proper” embraced us and showed us lots of love…Dripping Springs is home and I am proud to be part of this wonderful quickly growing community.”

During any election there are politics involved, but quality is valued by Dripping. “I had been told I would probably not be elected (by a few people) because I was a teacher and because I was Hispanic. Honestly, not for one minute did I think the community would not elect me for those reasons,” she continued.

“If I didn’t win the election, it would be because people didn’t know who I was or because they didn’t think my experience would bring value to the school board. I’m glad my community found value in having an educator on the board.”

But the world of education was stood on its head in this world of pandemic. “The charge of trying to support our superintendent, administrators, staff, students and our community in such unprecedented times have been challenging.”

Still, the hard work continues and being a parent with her own daughters in the district gives her ownership in the decisions that will affect DSISD’s most important commodity, the education of its children. “I LOVE DSISD and I believe we have something special. With the rapid growth, I want to assure that the district continues to develop with integrity. My colleagues bring specific talents that help in creating policy, land acquisition, and crunching numbers. I feel that my strength is to bring the perspective of an educator,” Grijalva said.

CORRECTION: For last week’s Nice to Meet Ya, we published a profile piece on Roberta Mitchell, not Roberta Johnson. We apologize for the error.