YCP at Work – Meet Dr. Rosanna Mucetti, Superintendent, NVUSD: Educator, Leader, Advocate
Dr. Rosanna Mucetti has made the most of opportunities on her journey to education. Coming from an immigrant family the value of education was instilled in her from an early age. Mucetti pursued the easy access to learning that schools in the US offered, an opportunity her parents were not afforded. A visit to Cuba while she was in college convinced her to become an educator. She saw how the third-world country prioritized its students and grew to have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Mucetti was ready to challenge and change the trend of high poverty and low performance.
Dr. Mucetti wanted her students to thrive because of the school system not despite it. She had no doubt that creating opportunities through the school her students and their families would rise to the highest of expectations. A big part of their success would be the consistency of the adults showing up for them, helping leverage the options in front of them.
The opportunity to bring YCP into the Napa Valley School District came about through conversations with professional connections. It was also the right time – the district was coming back from the pandemic with thoughts on reengagement strategies, motivation, and potential challenges. As she continued to discuss and research, Mucetti found the program aligned with her values. She knew a partnership with the Latino-centric organization would elevate and empower the identity of her district’s demographic. She thoughtfully considered the benefits of this dynamic program saying “YCP offers real world learning and exposure at a young age.” The relevance is more than classroom exposure; it’s elevating the identity of each student, their families, and the community. The real world applications and hands-on experience allows the students to “see themselves in the (film) industry” – an opportunity which may have seemed inaccessible. This partnership tells the students I can, not I cannot.
Mucetti says the changes to YCP participants are noticeable. Students are becoming problem solvers, show persistence and leadership abilities, engage easily with school leaders and each other. As YCP students move on to other schools, there is some notoriety surrounding their participation. They are able to share the films they’ve made with students from other district schools. That sense of confidence and pride is a direct influence of YCP involvement. The most surprising change is how the program develops academic skills. She notes the evolving of critical thinking in language arts and mathematics where students are looking at and analyzing problems in a different way. Many students faced mathematics problems and backed away, not knowing how to solve them. Now, with their development of these important skills within the YCP space, students are adequately armed with the ability to solve any problem presented in core academics. These are the basic building blocks which carryover into all post-K12 opportunities. “YCP is the key to the door of confidence, careers, and choices. There isn’t just one path.”