When I say I built these schools from the ground up, I mean that literally.
In the beginning, there was no big funder, no comfortable office, no guaranteed outcome, just a handful of people who believed in something bigger than themselves and about $50,000 between us. It was sweat equity, plain and simple.
I had already spent years working for other private schools, learning how to build them from the inside out. So when it came time to create my own, I traded money for knowledge, and that became my investment.
I did everything I could to get us started.
I applied for licenses with the Department of Education myself.
I handled the zoning and compliance paperwork.
When the paint needed to go on the walls, I grabbed a roller.
When furniture was missing, I drove to local colleges, leveraging our nonprofit status to collect surplus items and donations.
When students weren’t coming in fast enough, I was out recruiting, knocking on doors, and visiting neighborhoods.
During the day, I was the founder. At night, I was the janitor, painter, and planner.
There were nights when I didn’t even go home.
I’d stay and sleep inside the school just to get more hours in, not because I had to, but because I couldn’t rest knowing there was still work to do.
At that time, I was living in a tiny rented room in Hialeah. The whole place barely fit a bed, a dresser, and a small closet. I used to laugh about it because that’s where I hosted our leadership and training Zooms for the team, sitting on the edge of my bed, in that cramped little space, trying to keep the energy high and the mission alive.
I didn’t care how it looked. I wasn’t chasing appearances, I was chasing progress.
I was eating cheap food, stacking every dollar, and driving an old, oversized car everyone called “The Dinosaur” because it was slow, loud, and unforgettable, kind of like the grind itself.
But every scrape, every sleepless night, every can of paint, and every hard conversation mattered.
Because what started with $50,000, one rented room, and a dream, grew into Foundations Academies a system built to serve students who needed a second chance, just like I once did.
Those days taught me that true leadership isn’t about titles or comfort.
It’s about sacrifice, humility, and the quiet confidence to keep showing up, even when no one else does.