Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dezirea Contreras of Chandler

We recently had the chance to connect with Dezirea Contreras and have shared our conversation below.

Dezirea, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me right now is waking up, getting my mind set ready before I start the day. On the rare occasion I wake up and all of my kids are sleeping still. My little guy is usually awake to greet me with a box of pancake mix or package of bacon asking if he can help me make breakfast. Some mornings I have to get lunch supplies, in that case I am up earlier. Breakfast is my time to connect with my kids before we get into the organized chaos of the day. We eat breakfast together, read the Bible and then I set off to take my little guy to his class down the street.
At 8:50 I open my doors for students to start arriving and get settled. Once class begins it is a constant flow of movement, questions, jokes, we make lunch, eat play and get back to it. Clean up and send off, then the real clean up from the day begins, resetting for the next day.
After everyone goes home I try to take a little bit of time to myself again to regroup from the day. Decompress if you will… This is not always the case, because we may have to rush to an ortho appointment, have a virtual meeting or need to run some type of errand. Before I know it “Dad’s home!” it’s dinner time, pick up from jiujitsu or bible study. The days go by like a blur, so taking that down time with my kids is very important.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi I am a mom and I started a microschool. Without it getting too complicated I can explain a microschool as exactly how it sounds. A very small learning environment, where the students are self-directed learners. I serve 3rd-12th grade students.
Since we are a small community it feels more like family, I want parents to be involved and to be apart of their child’s educational journey. A family that comes to my school is looking for a fresh option from the traditional school. Students are in the driver seat, I am there to guide them. My program specifically is entrepreneur centered, we use financial math and algebra, connect real world as much as possible to what the students are learning. DiscoverUAcademy is going into its 5th year, hard to believe, it has been flash!! My first graduate went on to pursue his 3D Animation career and received an academic scholarship to college.
Students are introduced to other entrepreneurial leaders and adults who tell their story of success and failures. Each student has the opportunity to launch their own business, big or small. since I have done this before I am there to help them step by step. From a slime business to a bbq sandwich business, there are no limits. They can try many options of careers now to hopefully weed out what they dont like before choosing a major, if they are college bound.
My goal is to bring every option available to my students. I encourage dual enrollment, trade school, and scholarship prep as desired. I am working on a partnership with ASU Universal Learner program. Through this, I can offer my students a special rate when they are shooting for college credit. It is very exciting!!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Little Dezirea was shy, she didn’t think she was smart or could do anything worth accolades. What I thought were my weaknesses turned out to be my strengths now as an adult. I didn’t have a traditional education at all, I used to think I was dumb because I didn’t learn what other kids were learning. I had all forms of education; homeschool, Montessori, public, online (before it was cool…) I am not knocking any type of educational path, that is just truly how I felt with the path I was on.

Now, I get to make a difference everyday in my students lives and as a “pioneer” I speak in rooms filled with other people who want to do what I am doing. I am an “expert” now.
I no longer believe any of those things little Dezirea used to think of herself.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
This is so vital, if you never suffer or struggle you can never know true gratitude. I could not be where I am today with the knowledge that I have if did not suffer a loss. I’ll go as far as to say that for me personally, in the suffering I want to know why, and how can I improve to be better prepared for next time.
I am grateful for the relationships I have now because of the loss I have suffered.
I am even more grateful for the children I have now because of loss.
I am grateful for the growth and success of my school because of the struggles.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie in my industry is, school needs to be 8 hours long. Spend time with your kids, take them on experiences to see the world they live in. Learning is everywhere around us. It will be more meaningful than anything they did in a building. I used to say, “how will they learn if they aren’t in school??” But I was wrong. Teach them to read, write and have good morals, and they can learn anything.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
This is something that I am contemplating constantly. As an educator I do have to wait to see what may happen in the next 7-10 years. My youngest students are 10 so yes in about 7 years we will see where they are at in their wonderful little lives. I can only hope that what I have poured into each and everyone of them benefitted them. It is exhilarating to think that one day my own kids can look back at their journey and say, “my mom was part of this, she absolutely did the most to bring us the best education possible.” As much as I dont want them to grow up, I do want to see what their lives look like.

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