Meet Dr. Shana Lachowicz

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Shana Lachowicz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Dr. Shana , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

Some days it is hard. As an empath, I feed off others’ feelings and their emotions. I try to not be around people who drain my energy or let the bad take up too much space in my head. I try to remember how far I have come and that in all aspects I should have been a statistic, someone who shouldn’t have made it (according the the ‘Nay-Sayers’) make it. I am not sure I am all that optimistic but I try to see it that way for the sake of those that I influence.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am the Director of the Child Development Department for CPCD…Giving Children a Head Start. I have been with CPCD since 2006 and have worked with Head Start/Early Head Start for most of my professional career. I have grown from a Head Start child to managing over 175 staff members in a leadership position with CPCD. Before taking on their current role, I have served as a classroom aide, Early Head Start teacher, Child Development Supervisor, and Child Development department Assistant Director. I was born and raised in New York, but I have lived in Colorado Springs for about 20 years now.
Although I never actually had a plan, I always knew I wanted to make an impact in early education and to be frank prove the world wrong.
Over the past 5 years, I have begun to make a name for myself in the Early Childhood Education profession at local and national levels. I was named one of the 2020 Rising Stars by the Colorado Springs Business Journal. For almost 10 years, I have been one of the Infant/Toddler Specialists in El Paso County working as an EQIT (Expanding Quality in Infant and Toddler Care) instructor. I teach 2 nights a week and love working with emerging professionals. Just this summer, I was accepted and graduated from UCLA’s Head Start Management Fellowship program, which added a bit of the more business side to my knowledge base.
I bring endless passion not only to the development of ECE professionals but also to the awareness of equality issues within our community. I have sat on our diversity committee and was one who pushed for the need to effectively begin addressing matters of equity.
I aim to continue to impact the lives of Early Education Professionals in the community, being true to who I am telling my story of adversity and offering hope for the underdog. Statistically speaking, ‘someone like me’ should not have made it. So, with a Doctorate, a thriving teenager, and an amazing girlfriend by my side, I will continue to root for those who think they can’t make it because I am proof that you can make it and you can start at any age.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Throughout my journey, the most impactful qualities I still hold closely to who I am are empathy, resilience, and determination. I find relating to people, and being able to match their energy goes a long way in establishing relationships which in my profession is huge, You have to truly be able to feel their passion, their pain, and their story to connect. When you have had nothing, experienced trauma, and what felt like endless obstacles, if I were not resilient I could have very easily fallen into a path where I would not be where I am today. And of course, with determination for me it’s simple, I spent my whole late teenage and young adult years determined I would never see 30. My mom passed at 29 and it just felt like why would make it further when she deserved to be here and I was a mess? Then 30 hit and I was determined to live the life I knew I deserved and be someone she would be proud of, someone who my dad could see that his determination for his children paid off in our happiness and success. Now it took about almost 15 years, but here I am.
People ask me that often and my gut reaction is, oh boy you do not want my advice. But as I think about where I am, I would tell people do not to give, to not give up on hope, to believe in human kindness, and to fight for people who can’t. But most important, I would tell people to not let anyone tell them that you cannot dream big and get there, prove them wrong and take the win with grace.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Being raised my by dad only since age five. The one thing he insisted on was that we were to graduate, and we are to go to college, He said it without actually saying it in words that he never wanted us to struggle the way he did. Most of his situation was out of his control, but he what he did was help me develop my grit, my determination, and perseverance, Having 4 degrees, I think I listened.

Image Credits

That is just me and me and my son, The question didn’t ask much about that, but he is my everything and my biggest why for what I do.