Castillo announces run for CISD Board of Trustees Place 6 position
Mar. 3—Melissa Castillo has announced her intent to run for the recently vacant Corsicana Independent School District Board of Trustees Place 6 position. Below is her statement regarding her interest and qualifications for her candidacy.
"I was born and raised in Corsicana. My mother, Adela, has worked for CISD for 33 years. She taught early childhood education for 25 years and recently retired in 2023. My father, Luis, has worked for CISD as part of the grounds crew for the last six years. My son Prez is a sophomore and an avid varsity tennis player at CHS. My first CISD experience started at Travis Elementary School. I greatly appreciate the educational foundation that was laid by the administrators, teachers, and staff at Travis. I also attended Lincoln and Drane before my family moved to Eureka. I attended Mildred ISD during my junior and high school years, graduating in 2000.
In 2004, I graduated from Navarro College with an Associate's degree in Applied Science with a major in Criminal Justice. I earned my Bachelor's in Applied Science with a major in Criminal Justice from Texas A&M Commerce in 2006. In 2017, I decided to return to college to accomplish one of my long-term goals of completing a master's program. One of my most accomplished moments was when I graduated from San Angelo State University in 2019 with a Master's degree in Science in Applied Psychology.
I have a passion for giving back to my community and serving others. I enjoy being a positive role model to the children and youth in our community. I started serving children and youth through ministry work, for 13 years, including a juvenile ministry for incarcerated youth. By 2007, I was employed by the Texas Youth Commission at the Corsicana Residential Treatment Facility. I worked as a case manager and was part of the crisis intervention team. In 2009, I was hired at VOICE as a prevention specialist. I facilitated groups in CISD and other school districts in several other counties. I also led a leadership program for Navarro County high school students and helped students plan for college. In 2020, I was promoted to Deputy Director of Programs. A few of my responsibilities include overseeing all our programs and a multimillion-dollar program budget divided among three state contracts. I am blessed to have a career that aligns with my passion for building strong relationships with children, youth, their families, and our community.
When elected for CISD School Board of Trustees, place 6, I will continue to make further contributions to our great community. I will be a voice for all CISD students, teachers, and parents. I will ensure that we have strong leadership within the CISD administration. I will collaborate with members of the board and superintendent to help ensure responsible decisions are made that affect the CISD budget; decisions that will advance our academic programs to further the education of all CISD students. I will proudly promote Corsicana ISD's core values to educate every child, to provide every student with the greatest opportunity to learn and to maintain a safe environment that will protect our children mentally, emotionally, and physically so students can fulfill their full academic achievements."
