According to her supervisor, Principal Gloria Trejo’s successful leadership at Pioneer Elementary is a result of her unique combination of personal drive and deep understanding of the diverse community which she serves. As an instructional leader, Trejo has committed herself to deep study of performance gaps in order to chart appropriate pathways to improvement and identify the development needs of her staff. This focus has led to significant turnaround success, particularly in literacy. When she became principal at Pioneer 12 years ago, the school was the lowest performing in the district. Now, 80 percent of students are grade-level readers, with many reading above grade level. Trejo credits this success to investments in the school’s Professional Learning Teams, where she works closely with staff “on the frontlines” to address problems in instruction. With a large, diverse, and high-poverty K-5 population, Trejo has also invested in building community partnerships to attract resources that enrich the educational experience for all children and create new opportunities for family involvement. One colleague calls Trejo “brilliant, conscientious, independent, and self-motivated, but above all, humble.” Principal Trejo was a participant in the Association of Latino Administrators Leadership Academy and remains an active and respected leader in the organization. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Illinois State University and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Aurora University. She is expected to receive an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Aurora University in May 2019.