Ep10 Graciela Miranda, Statewide Teacher of The Year: Leadership Development podcast

This leadership development podcast is brought to you by: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership through leadership culture. He grew up in a village off-the-grid, migrated to the U.S., learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years.  Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and a social entrepreneur.

GUEST: Graciela Miranda, a teacher at Pike High School in Indianapolis, was named the 2025 Indiana Teacher of the Year! Miranda teaches English Language Learners and has experience teaching in elementary and postsecondary. Graciela supports elevating the teaching profession in Indiana and at the national level. As a first generation Latina graduate and former ELL student, she stands in the gap and fosters systems for marginalized communities that promote student success.

Find our guest at: https://www.instagram.com/2025intoy
Find our host at:  https://www.ovinspires.com

Leadership Summary: In this episode, Graciela Miranda shares how her struggles as a low-tracked student shaped her into a statewide educational leader. She explains how intentional teaching, courageous conversations, and identity-affirming classrooms drive real equity. Her story shows how leaders grow not by status, but by lifting others. 

10 Takeaways on Leadership
✅ Identity matters in leadership
✅ Lead by asking better questions
✅ Create intentional learning spaces
✅ Be the mentor you needed
✅ Honor student stories
✅ Train others to manage time and stress
✅ Lead from a place of service
✅ Use data with empathy
✅ Amplify quiet leadership
✅ Community is your strength 

5 Titles for Leadership
✅ Teacher of the Year With a Message for Every Leader
✅ From Failure to Frameworks: Graciela’s Journey
✅ Quiet Strength, Loud Results
✅ Culture Connectors Win
✅ The Power of Intentional Mentorship 

5 Sound Bites for Leadership
🗣 “Don’t shrink your story to fit a system.”
🗣 “You can’t give what you don’t have.”
🗣 “We are preparing kids for jobs that don’t exist yet.”
🗣 “Mentorship is more than guidance. It’s belief.”
🗣 “Community means everyone wins.” 

10 Chapters on Leadership
00:00 – Meet Graciela
03:00 – Her Childhood Story
06:00 – From ELL to Educator
10:00 – Identity in Classrooms
13:00 – Mentorship and National Boards
16:00 – How Leaders Fail or Lift
20:00 – Systems Change Starts With You
24:00 – What Real Leadership Looks Like
27:00 – Abuelita, Legacy, and Grit
31:00 – Closing Thoughts and Tools 

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