The Arc of Leadership | Part 7

Written by Tim Buckley, September 2025

Sometimes life pushes us to act in ways that are contrary to our personality, because we’re seeking a higher purpose. As a mother with children in Highland Elementary, for example, Olivia Alvarez started advocating for changes at the school despite her natural shyness and lack of confidence. She put aside her discomfort because of a strong desire for her children to get a high-quality education. And she made room in her crowded schedule to become an involved parent.

“Because of a language and culture gap, many of us aren’t connected to the schools where our children go,” she explained. “The school is a foreign place to us, and I think it’s important to build a bridge between parents and the teachers.”

What helped her significantly was meeting Eduardo Angulo, CBEL’s Neighborhood Family Council Director. “When I told him about some of the changes I wanted to make, he basically said, ‘Great! Here’s what we can do together!’” Olivia agreed to be one the founding members of the new Highland Neighborhood Family Council.

Elementary schools are frequently asked to do more and more for students, without any commitment by parents to make up for what schools can’t provide due to limited resources. “When initially told about the new Family Council, the Highland school principal and staff were uncertain about the potential partnership,” Olivia said. “But after seeing the results of our first holiday event, where hundreds of families showed up at the school for an evening of celebration, they saw the potential to reach an audience they had never seen. It was a way to get parents comfortable with the school environment. Then, when we also offered the school small financial contributions for key initiatives, they became increasingly warm and appreciative.”

Background

Olivia met and married JGuadalupe Cervantes Mendoza in Mexico, then moved to the US with him more than 20 years ago. They have lived here ever since. Like many who immigrated from Mexico, both found work in the agriculture industry, working in the fields and canneries. They worked for seed companies as well, where JGuadelupe became a forklift operator. The couple moved to the Willamette Valley in 1999 and the Highland neighborhood in 2009.

The couple has three boys: Brian (25), Brandon (22), and Bradley (13). Brian was the co-valedictorian of his North Salem High School class with straight A’s. Then it was on to Linfield College for his Bachelor’s degree and Willamette University for a Master’s in Data Science. He graduated from Oregon State this year with another Master’s, in Statistics, and was quickly hired by Foxtrot Legacy Group, a startup AI investing and consulting firm, as a Senior Data Scientist, working remotely from Salem and making a handsome salary.

“I came to the Salem area when I was five,” Brian said. “The path out of poverty is hard, and it wasn’t until late in my high school years that our family wasn’t struggling each month to put food on the table.”

“I’m so grateful to my mom,” Brian continued. “She has always been interested in learning and was a huge motivating force in my education. She pushed me hard, but she also modeled a great work ethic, discipline and humility.”

The Highland Neighborhood Family Council

“I met Eduardo in 2023, when our youngest son was in 5th grade at Highland,” Olivia said. “He convinced me that by becoming involved with the new Council we would create more momentum for positive change in the school. Having solid CBEL staff support from him - Maribel, Darian and Destiny - was crucial,” she added, “and the training we received helped us organize, manage and collaborate more successfully.”

“Receiving modest funding each month from CBEL allows us to organize successful events. We have wonderful community partners, like ValJean Pratt at Salem Evangelical Church, who are crucial for our success. And we collaborate with neighborhood other Councils as well, helping Fun Fridays and seasonal events be more successful, building a wide circle of new friends and bringing fun activities and helpful resources to families.”

In addition to events, the Council has also been able to help the schools achieve higher attendance, by purchasing snacks and small incentives for students. And each year, the Council celebrates and acknowledges teachers at an event where food and gifts help create a deeper connection.

A similar effort by the Family Council at Washington Elementary brought this comment from principal Erica Manzo: “We are deeply thankful for our partnership with the Neighborhood Council. Their ongoing commitment helps us strengthen family engagement, improve attendance, support positive behavior, celebrate cultural identity, and make a lasting impact on the lives of our students.”

Next Generation of Leadership

“My mom introduced me to CBEL through her neighborhood council work. I love coming to events, working alongside her, and providing handyman kind of help,” Brian said about his volunteer work at Fun Fridays and other events. “I’d like to be more involved, and get more young people involved as volunteers, because it’s a wonderful introduction to leadership. I will always make volunteering important; it helps me balance my life.”

Brian brought his younger brothers Brandon and Bradley to Fun Fridays as well. Brandon, the middle son, now works for US Bank and is seeking approval from his supervisor to add the bank to a list of sponsors and resources that regularly populate neighborhood family council events.

“Attending CBEL Collaborative gatherings has also been awesome,” Brian added. “They’re designed around connection and dialogue. They create a sense of trust and safety between neighborhood leaders, city mayors, school district leaders, police chiefs, and business leaders. That kind of community intersection is healthy, where we see each other as necessary for creating success.”

Olivia added that “the neighborhood work fills me up. It’s energizing. I’ve gotten over my fear of self-expression in a group setting. I’ve become more comfortable and more confident in my role in neighborhood leadership. And seeing the results of our efforts – safer streets, more neighborhood involvement, better results with kids at school – is part of what makes me the happiest.”