LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jayda Pugliese was nominated by an anonymous colleague.

Ms. Pugliese is a LifeChanger because she is brave, honest, just, and wise.  These are the virtues she demonstrates and models every single day as an academic leader, mentor, and role model for her school community and colleagues. She began her tenure as principal of St. Mary's in 2018, but her connection to the school began when she was a student. She impressed all of her teachers with her grit and determination to succeed, despite her hearing impairment.  As a student, she was an inspiration to her classmates, and later on as an educator, she became an inspiration to children with disabilities and their teachers.

Ms. Pugliese distinguished herself early in her teaching career as an innovator, spearheading a STEM program in her fifth grade classroom, and ultimately, the entire school.  She worked tirelessly to bring much-needed outside funding to her "high needs" school, including OST (Out-of-School-Time) programming.  She also provided district-wide professional development to her colleagues in technology integration, blended learning strategies, and working with diverse student populations.  At the same time, she continued community service work with hearing-impaired children.

Her outstanding achievements in her field were recognized in 2016, when she received the prestigious Millken Educator Award, which enabled her to continue her education and pursue an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Holy Family University. This was a tremendous honor for Ms. Pugliese, as she was the first in her family to graduate from high school and go on to earn advanced degrees. She was also an adjunct instructor at the university, further motivating and inspiring future educators.  

Ms. Pugliese has proven herself to be a highly effective academic leader as principal of St. Mary Interparochial School.  Over the past two years, she has strengthened her staff's understanding and commitment to blended learning while supporting the mission of providing for the social, spiritual, emotional, and cultural needs of students. Her firm, efficient management of the school climate is reinforced by compassion, understanding, and a love of each individual child.

Her LifeChanger qualities came sharply into focus last March, when COVID-19 closed the building and forced her school to switch over to a virtual learning model. She sprang into action by establishing systems for teachers and students, identifying areas of need, and distributing the technology and resources that families needed to successfully transition.  Within one week, St. Mary's was a fully functioning "virtual" school.  Of course, there were many challenges, but she met each one with empathy, patience, and determination. She provided support to families, teachers, and students who were struggling to adjust.

The entire summer of 2020 was devoted to enabling a safe return to in-person learning in September. Ms. Pugliese negotiated for the funds needed to comply with public health requirements, and she made sure all of the families and staff were heard and supported during the transition back to school. Today, St. Mary's has a very efficient hybrid model where families can decide to keep their students learning virtually or send them back to be with their classmates. Ms. Pugliese makes sure she is in touch with every student, monitoring their academic progress and personal growth.

"These past ten months have been a struggle for many people, including school-age children and their families, who are facing an unknown future.  The families and staff of St. Mary's know that they can depend on Principal Pugliese to do whatever it takes to ease their burdens and stay positive as we forge ahead," said her nominator. "She is an exceptional leader and a very fine person. Indeed, she has been 'the wind beneath our wings' during these uncertain times."