Principal of the Year creates a welcoming environment where students can succeed

A video call with Principal Liza Burrell-Aldana, MEd Education Leadership ’13, started, first, with a challenge for which she was already finding solutions.

“Our internet is out this morning, so I needed to make a hotspot,” she said.

Then, she happily showed off her Zoom background: a poster for the Disney film Encanto. “I love this movie,” she said, “I’m from Colombia, so the movie speaks to my heart.”

It's a snapshot of her exceptional leadership qualities: a problem-solver unfazed by hiccups or road bumps, welcoming and relatable to a diverse population of students and community members alike. And it’s one of many reasons why Burrell-Aldana was named the Washington Post’s 2023 Principal of the Year.

Burrell-Aldana joins a legacy of Mason alumni honored for their exceptional leadership in school administration. “It’s humbling and rewarding to have our work recognized,” she said.

Burrell-Aldana received her bachelor’s degree in foreign languages from Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, going on to earn her first master’s from the School of International Training in Vermont.

A job opportunity brought her to Northern Virginia, where her administrative aspirations led to her being selected for a cohort in the George Mason University’s Master of Education program in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). For the past six years, she has served as principal of Mount Vernon Community School (MVCS)—Alexandria City’s only full English-Spanish dual-language school, a formal designation Burrell-Aldana championed in her previous role as one of MVCS’s assistant principals.

MVCS is the oldest school building in Alexandria, which comes with unique challenges. Years of deferred maintenance led to an ongoing series of health and structural concerns as Burrell-Aldana stepped into the role of principal. Mold, asbestos, HVAC issues, an ancient playground: “If you can think of a building maintenance problem, we had it in this school,” Burrell-Aldana said.

Burrell-Aldana faced these problems head-on. During her six-year tenure, renovations have transformed the historic building into a safer, cleaner, and vastly improved environment for students—an environment, Burrell-Aldana emphasizes, they can be proud of and excited to come to every day.

“Fifty-three percent of our student population is Hispanic, many of them living in one of the poorest communities in Alexandria,” she explained. “To care for the space is to show care for the students, to prove to them that they matter and are worth investing in. Not all students have the privilege of having that in their homes, so having their school be a healthy, healing space conducive to learning is necessary for their success. And for our teachers, they can do their best work now that they feel physically safe in the space.”

Throughout the renovations, parents and the greater community were kept informed of the ongoing challenges, the proposed solutions, and the steps toward completion of each major milestone. “It took collaboration with the community, a lot of advocacy. And their response has been so positive; it’s shown them that advocacy can be successful, and that the administration prioritizes the safety and health of the community.”

The renovations are only one of a long list of Burrell-Aldana's achievements as an administrator, including guiding her faculty and students through COVID disruptions, redesigning curricula, and increasing the number of referrals of Latinx and Black students into gifted and talented programs.

Burrell-Aldana attributes much of her success as an administrator to the foundations built in Mason’s MEd program. The practical, hands-on experience gained through the program allows her to approach the challenges of school administration with confidence and courage.

“Every time I’m in the decision-making process, I remember those lessons and conversations with Mason professors,” she said. “I truly believe that what Mason does for school administrators is so meaningful and foundational, because it gives us a wealth of practical experience we can apply daily.”

“As a teacher, Dr. Liza Burrell-Aldana made her decisions based on what is best for all students; as a principal, she understands that leadership is not an event, but it is the consistency of her caring that creates lasting relationships with staff, parents, and community,” said Roberto Pamas, director of the Office of Teacher Preparation in CEHD, and one of Burrell-Aldana's former professors. “Her impact to the school and community is limitless.”