Building mentors, not just students: Summit K2's Christian Cabrera

Christian Cabrera likes to think of himself as an old Millenial.

He’s the Executive Director of Summit K2 Middle School and he knows it’s easy to get caught up in the “back in my day” or “these kids nowadays” type thinking when analyzing the state of public education. He knows how students experience school has changed since he was growing up in the Bronx, New York.

Still, when he looks at the current generation of students, he sees a piece is often missing: a caring adult who is not their parent but provides guidance, advice and support. A mentor. 

“What we’re missing is we had some guidance, a relationship with an individual who took time out of their day to support our growth and development,” Christian said. “Someone to say, ‘I am engaged in your development because it matters.’”

Christian said that “mentoring has always been a part of my life” starting when he was a kid, remembering uncles and “doctors and other supervisors” at the medical clinic where his mother worked. Mentoring was a key part of his first job at a charter school and it’s what drew him to Summit.

For Christian, mentoring is a part of his larger philosophy that public service is important and that everyone – parents and people in the community – has key roles to play in students receiving a quality education.

“When we start dividing ourselves and blaming others over why things are the way they are,” Christian said, “there is a negligence in our responsibility to support the next generation so they don’t make the same mistakes that we made.”

Christian believes that proper structures go a long way in helping parents support their children’s education, so developing the school’s Parent Leadership Team was a priority in his first year as Executive Director.

Christian said 5C has been essential in creating a space where parents can organize together through leadership institutes, and then build momentum together with the public actions they take, such as the school board candidate forum they organized in the fall.

“We need parent power at our school,” Christian said. “For them to share their insights, how things are going at home, and we can share what else they can do at home with their children.”

Christian said he sees 5C as instrumental in advocating for school choice and helping parents understand why everyone should have access to a quality education.

“I believe in school choice,” he said. “I believe in communities having their voice and that choice.”

Christian started to develop his philosophy around education during his first job at a charter school. He served as Director of Student Support Services.The school also provided wraparound services for families: there was a clinic on campus, free legal guidance, services for unhoused youth, a GED program for adults, SAT prep for students.

“I really fell in love with the school model,” he said.    

“Charter schools definitely allowed for more flexibility and opportunity,” Christian said, “and less bureaucracy for us to serve the needs of our students.”

Christian was looking for job opportunities in California when a coworker (another mentor) directed him to a listing for a position at Summit. He was especially drawn to Summit’s emphasis on 1:1 mentoring. As Dean of Culture and Instruction, his initial role involved supporting students and then evolved into also coaching teachers.

Now as Executive Director, he said he wants to create community and build joy with a strong culture of accountability.

“High standards and high support for students,” he said. Teachers are mentors and they are also mentees. 

“We all need a mentor.”