By Sara Medina, Director, Education & Workforce
Principal for a Day (PFAD), presented by Capital One, is a joint program by the Dallas Regional Chamber and Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD). PFAD provides business and community leaders an opportunity to step into the shoes of a Dallas ISD principal to understand the challenges they face and find new ways to work more closely with the school district.
This year’s PFAD is on Thursday, Oct. 3, across Dallas ISD schools, and will end with an After Class Reception, presented by Amazon. Here is what you can expect as a volunteer principal.
Experience a day in the life of a Dallas ISD principal
For a school principal, no two days are ever the same. From the moment they step through the doors, they’re met with a whirlwind of responsibilities that impact students, faculty, and staff. It is not uncommon for a principal to shift roles throughout the day – an administrator one moment to a counselor the next.
Because every day is different for a principal, each PFAD participant will have a unique experience. Volunteer principals can expect to make announcements, visit classes, address students and staff about their industry or personal career journey, and shadow principals as they attend to the day’s unique challenges.
For participants who wish to expand their involvement with Dallas ISD, PFAD is more than a one-day event; it’s a launching point for future collaboration.
Taking Principal for a Day beyond the classroom
For PFAD sponsors Capital One and Amazon, their involvement with Dallas ISD doesn’t end after the day is done.
Capital One, in addition to their presenting sponsorship of PFAD, is a proud Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) partner at Moisés E. Molina High School and North Dallas High School. As a P-TECH partner, Capital One helps students receive postsecondary credit in related industries – including business administration and information technology – at no cost. They also recently hosted a P-TECH Summit, connecting more than 160 Dallas ISD P-TECH students with critical job readiness skills and information about careers in technology.
“PFAD is only the beginning for many participants. Capital One has been able to establish a long-term relationship with Dallas ISD through PFAD and ongoing volunteerism,” said Jorge Calderon, Dallas Market President for Capital One. “Through this relationship, we’ve discovered innovative strategies to support Dallas ISD while addressing our own priorities, such as strengthening our workforce pipeline through internships and work-based learning initiatives.”
Capital One, in collaboration with the National Academy Foundation (NAF) and the University of Texas at Dallas, also supports Dallas-area students through the NAF Future Ready Labs, an innovative internship concept designed to extend meaningful, hands-on work experiences to high school students in industries like finance, technology, architecture, film, and more.
Similarly, Amazon sponsors the Amazon Future Engineer Program nationwide, a childhood-to-career initiative designed to inspire and educate millions of students each year from underrepresented and historically underserved communities to build life-changing skills that leverage computer science and coding.
Through this initiative, Amazon has provided eight Dallas ISD students with $40,000 scholarships to pursue computer science or engineering degrees at the college or university of their choice. In addition to the $40,000 in scholarship funds, students also receive a paid internship at Amazon after their freshman year of college.
Amazon has also hosted career fairs at Dallas ISD’s Townview Magnet Center, bringing in Amazon leaders to discuss their career journeys in STEM and emphasizing the importance of computer science education.
“It is important to expose students of all ages to STEM education, including making investments in early childhood education, where impact is the most profound,” said Vickie Yakunin, Head of Community Affairs for Amazon in Texas. “It all starts with PFAD. You won’t know how to get involved until you take the first step.”
How to get involved
Interested in becoming Principal for a Day? Email education@dallaschamber.org to obtain the credentials to the password-protected Dallas ISD application portal.