Spotlight: Angelica Allen

Angelica Allen is often asked why she loves her job. "I love my job because I help people, whether it is a child, a faculty or staff member, a parent, or a community member, enhance their lives with the words that I speak. My overarching goal is to empower everyone in my sphere of influence to see the magnificent potential within themselves and rise to heights previously unimagined."

She serves as the Principal of Marshall School located in the South Orange - Maplewood School District in South Orange, New Jersey.

After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations she briefly worked in Corporate America before venturing into the field of Education. Her professional experiences include teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as well as adult evening classes. From there, she entered Seton Hall University and received her Master's Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. Her administrative experiences to date are in the public sector of education: charter schools and traditional elementary schools. Currently, she is completing her doctoral studies at Seton Hall University in Educational Administration and Supervision.

One of her greatest professional achievements was opening a charter school in the city of Newark, New Jersey in 1999.

One of her most memorable professional experiences was overseeing a $3,000,000 addition to an elementary school.

One of the warmest invitations she received was from a first grade student who invited her to attend her sleepover party one Saturday night because her mom said that it was okay if the principal came. Unfortunately, she had a prior engagement and later learned that she missed some fun that night!

Her hobbies include reading to her daughter (and for her own enjoyment), cycling, and cooking. Angelica's passion for life and education is evident in her dedication to the children and families she serves. Her work in guiding the education of the children in her school has a greater impact on the world. The children are our future. Involved parents and educators like Angelica are shaping our future.

At every turn, Angelica shares her message: "Enlightenment is within all of us and sometimes it takes another person to remind us of that fact."