10
catholic schools
August 19, 2014
CATHOLIC EDUCATION INSPIRES
leadership.
T
he Valley Catholic
Sacred Heart Nativity Schools name new president
Sonya Cotero Arriola has been selected by the Board of
Directors of Sacred Heart Nativity Schools (SHNS) as new
president. She is the third president in the schools’ history
and her service began August 1, start of the schools’ 14th
academic year.
She follows Laura Macias who served last year following the departure of founding president, Jesuit Father Peter
Pabst. “The school is grateful for Ms. Macias’ contributions
during the year and for her service to students and families
of the SHNS community,” said Mari Alba, president of the
board.
Sonya Cotero Arriola
Mrs. Arriola has extensive experience working with economically challenged students in situations similar to those
served by SHNS. Her undergraduate research focus was on Latino college students,
followed by three years of post-graduate work on Latino adolescent immigrants and
predictors for their academic success.
For the past eight years, she has worked with first generation college-bound, lowincome students at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. She has bilingual and
bicultural competency.
Mari Alba, chair of SHNS Board of Directors, said, “Sonya is a great fit. She also
was a first-generation college-bound student. We believe she will be an excellent role
model for our kids. We believe that Sonya can help the school address challenges of
an institution that relies on the generosity of donors to make a significant difference
in our community, as well as implementing necessary educational tools that can help
our students continue to succeed.”
Arriola said, “SHNS has the ability to transform lives -- not only those of our
students, families and communities for generations to come. By providing access to
Catholic education and supporting students through their academic journeys, we can
break the cycle of poverty.
“I am humbled by this appointment and grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the SHNS community, the Society of Jesus, and the Catholic Church,” she said.
Arriola graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1996 and received her
Masters in Education from Harvard University. She completed two additional years
of post-graduate study at the University of California, Berkeley. She resides in San
Jose with her husband and two children.
SHNS is comprised of Sacred Heart Nativity School for Boys and Our Lady of
Grace Nativity School for Girls, two urban Catholic Jesuit middle schools that seek to
“break the cycle of poverty through education.” SHNS operates in partnership with
the Society of Jesus, the Diocese of San José, and Sacred Heart Parish.
(Above) St. John Vianney School
students from Ms. Kathy Cook and
Mr. Wade Tam’s 8th grade class visited
Calvary Cemetery on a field trip to learn
of sacrifices made by the nation’s fallen
heroes. F Y