Special to the Record
Under the leadership and guidance of Superintendent Dr. Almudena (Almi) G. Abeyta, two superintendent fellows from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Doctor of Education Leadership Program are serving in Chelsea Public Schools this school year, receiving mentorship and hands-on experience as they aspire to be superintendents.
Carolina Armstrong and Elsy Villafranca joined Chelsea Public Schools from the Education Leadership Program at the start of the 2025-26 school year. They have completed one semester of the fellowship, serving the district in a variety of roles while learning about the responsibilities and duties of a superintendent from Dr. Abeyta.
What makes this dynamic particularly unique and special is that both Armstrong and Villafranca are aspiring Latina female superintendents who both hope to follow in Dr. Abeyta’s footsteps to a superintendency. According to the Mid-Decade Update of the American Superintendent Study by AASA (The School Superintendents Association), only 1.1 percent of superintendents identified as a Hispanic/Latinx female in 2020 when Dr. Abeyta became Superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools. Over the last five years, Hispanic/Latinx female superintendents have increased in representation to 6.3 percent per the AASA mid-decade report, but is still an underrepresented sub-group nationally.
Dr. Abeyta is also one of just three Latina superintendents in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts according to the 2024-25 Staffing Data by Race/Ethnicity and Gender Report released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
“Giving back and paying it forward is central to my leadership. As one of the few Latina superintendents in Massachusetts, I feel a profound responsibility to pay it forward and open doors for others,” Dr. Abeyta said. “Mentoring two aspiring Latina leaders like Carolina and Elsy is a reminder of how powerful representation and shared lived experiences can be. Supporting them is both a privilege and an investment in the next generation of superintendents.”
Both Armstrong and Villafranca are experienced educators in urban education and public education settings. They both are first-generation college graduates and immigrants who draw on those experiences to inform their roles, making both fellows ideal fits to serve the Chelsea Public Schools community.
Armstrong, a native of Chile, has served as a classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, staff developer, school administrator, and district leader in education settings in both North Texas and Boston. Her varied roles have focused on school improvement, turnaround work, instructional capacity and enhancing the learning experience of multilingual learners.
“As a Latina immigrant and first-generation college graduate myself, who now has the privilege and opportunity to attend an Ivy League School like Harvard, I am deeply inspired by Dr. Abeyta, and I see a mirror in her journey, identity, and a role model in her visionary, innovative, yet caring and compassionate approach to leadership,” commented Armstrong.
She continued, “Her leadership and mentoring are a testament not only to the generosity of her time and her commitment to pouring into others and building capacity, empowering the next generation of system-level leaders, but also to the critical importance of the power of representation in the communities we serve.”
A native of El Salvador, Villafranca is a former special education teacher and principal with over 16 years of experience in public education in California. Her work has focused on building systems that strengthened teaching, expanded opportunities for students and advanced culturally responsive practices.
Villafranca commented, “As I consider my path after the program, Dr. Abeyta’s words about communities needing leaders with a shared lived experience and the passion to change the status quo resonate deeply. I am grateful for the opportunity to see someone of similar roots representing and fighting for a community as passionately and intentionally as she does. I am certain that my continued involvement with the Chelsea team this school year will prove as inspiring and motivating as the fall semester did.”’
Under Dr. Abeyta’s guidance, Armstrong and Villafranca are gaining not only hands-on leadership experience, but also a strong example of how representation, particularly in urban school districts, has a powerful effect on a district’s growth and success. The first-hand experience they are benefitting from with Dr. Abeyta in Chelsea will contribute to their success in the fellowship program and beyond, potentially leading a school district themselves in the future.