Ms. Castro’s childhood dream was to help people in every way she could.
With a background serving on community boards and working with big-name schools like NYU and Columbia, Ms. Castro revolved her career around aiding people. Today, she continues to fulfill her dream by working as a school aid at Pace.
“My passion in my heart is helping people,” Ms. Castro said. “That is all I know how to do, and nothing is going to stop me.”
Before Ms. Castro came to Pace, she used to help families at homeless shelters in all five boroughs. Her passion for service came from her own family, who raised her in White Plains and the South Bronx. After moving all over the city, she settled in Manhattan.
Ms. Castro started working at Pace on an October morning seven years ago. She has helped the school and its students in various ways since. She monitors the hallways, works cafeteria duty and assists administrators with clerical work like filing paperwork and answering phones.
While Ms. Castro’s contributions to the school may go unnoticed by some students, her hard work is a source of admiration for her coworkers and friends, Agent Obando and Agent Kelly.
“Ms. Castro knows the kids by name, so she addresses children by their names,” Agent Obando said. “It becomes a personal relationship.”
Brightening the Pace community with her positive attitude is only one of Ms. Castro’s passions. She has also been singing at churches since she was 4 years old. She writes poetry, spends time with her grandchildren and “enjoys life through the good, bad, ugly or indifferent.”
“Every morning you are dealing with many different characteristics of people, students as well as adults, and I am the type of person who stays the same most of the time,” Ms. Castro said. “You can always be that nice person. Of course, we all have issues sometimes and off-days, and it’s hard to not know always when someone has an off day.”
Despite such challenges, Ms. Castro always has wisdom to share, whether about life or day-to-day school operations. When you first talk to her, Ms. Castro may seem shy, but she is a very knowledgeable person who likes to share.
“It’s one thing when you are alive, but what makes it easier when I wake up every morning is to live,” Ms. Castro said. “To live life and love it through the good and the challenging — that’s something I overcome every day.”
Reported with instructional assistance of Arabella Saunders, Report for America corps member and reporter with New York Focus.
