Sonia Gutierrez (born July 8, 1939) is a Puerto Rican educator and Hispanic rights activist. She was principal, counselor and advocate for adult students at the

Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School is a charter school for adults in Washington D.C. History The Carlos Rosario Adult Education Center was started in the 1930s at Gordon Junior High, 35th and T Streets NW in Burleith, Washington ...

, an adult charter school in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

"2013 E Pluribus Unum Prize Winner".
Migration Policy Institute

Early life and education

Sonia Gutierrez was born in

Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico Santurce (, from the Basque ''Santurtzi'' which means Saint George) is a barrio or district in the municipality of San Juan. Its population in 2020 was 69,469. It is also the biggest and most populated of all the barrios in the capital city wi ...

. She earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management and Finance from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

in 1961 and earned a master's degree in Adult Education Management from the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall ...

in 1978.

Career

Gutierrez began her literacy career in the District of Columbia in May 1972 as a counselor of the Program for English Instruction to Latin Americans (PEILA). In October 1972, Gutierrez was named Director of PEILA by founder Carlos Manuel Rosario. In 1978, Gutierrez facilitated PEILA's merger with the District of Columbia's Americanization Program, resulting in a District of Columbia public school known as the Gordon Adult Education Center. In 1988, under Gutierrez's direction, the Gordon Adult Education Center was named a National Finalist for the U.S. Department of Education's Secretary's Award for Outstanding Adult Basic Education Programs. In 1992, Gutierrez requested that the city council rename the school to the Carlos Rosario Adult Education Center, in memory of PEILA's founder.

The Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School

In 1996, the District of Columbia closed the Carlos Rosario Center due to a District-wide financial crisis that eliminated all DCPS adult education programs. Gutierrez raised enough money to open a small, private nonprofit program in Calvary Baptist Church in Chinatown.Constable, Pamela (July 6, 2002
"Language of the Heart"
The Washington Post. In 1997, the Carlos Rosario International Career Center opened as a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

under Sonia Gutierrez's leadership. In 1998, Gutierrez won approval from the

District of Columbia Public Charter School Board The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) is the regulatory authority and sole authorizer of all public charter schools in the District of Columbia, in the United States. It provides oversight to 69 independently-run non ...

to establish the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School The school continued to grow and expand under Gutierrez's leadership. In 2013, the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School opened the Sonia Gutierrez Campus, a workforce development satellite site serving an additional 500 students located in the Eckington, Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C. The school won the E Pluribus Unum Award from the Migration Policy Institute. With the opening of this second campus, the school now provides more than 2,500 students annually with comprehensive support services and courses including English as a Second Language,

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

in Spanish and English, technology essentials, citizenship and career training. Details of school accountability can be found on the District of Columbia Public Charter School website at: https://dcpcsb.org/carlos-rosario-international-pcs Gutierrez has been involved in the social and economic development of the Latino Community in D.C. In 1977, she founded the

Council of Latino Agencies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

. She was instrumental in establishing the District of Columbia Mayor's Office of Latino Affairs and presided over the Latino festival

Fiesta DC ''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to: Events *Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas *St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts *Fiestas d ...

. For more details please visit the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School at: https://www.carlosrosario.org/

Personal life

She has lived in Washington, D.C. for more than 45 years, and has three children: Jimmy Fairchild and Bobby Fairchild from her first marriage and Michelle Gutierrez from her second marriage to Latino activist Jose Gutierrez. She also has five grandchildren.

Honors and awards

*2020 - The Washington D.C. Hall of Fame Society recognizes residents who have had an outstanding impact on the city through exemplary public service. Sonia Gutierrez was inducted in the year 2020, for her outstanding contributions in the field of Education. *2015 - CHCI Medallion of Excellence Recipient *2013 - Administrator of the Year Award- Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) *2012 - Grand Marshall - Fiesta DC *2011 - Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition presented by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton *2007 - Inducted into the Charter School Hall of Fame *2002 - Excellence in Education Award- DC Government *1998 - Educator of the Year Award- Washington Hispanic Newspaper *1994 - Inducted to the Women's Hall of Fame - District of Columbia Commission for Women *1987 - Washingtonian of the Year Award- Washington Magazine *1983 - Service to the Latino Community Award- Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs *1979 - Founder Award for Outstanding Dedication-

Council of Hispanic Agencies A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

References