When showing up matters most: Mary Lopez and the heart of District 191

For nearly two decades, District 191 Cultural Liaison Mary Lopez has been quietly and purposefully building bridges.

She’s answered phone calls, translated conversations, connected families to resources and, perhaps most importantly, made sure people felt seen. It’s work that often happens behind the scenes, in moments that don’t make headlines. But this spring, Lopez’s impact got well-deserved attention when she was named the District 191 2026 Community of Excellence “Spirit of Excellence” award recipient.

Ask her about the honor, and she redirects the credit almost immediately.

“This truly belongs to the entire Eagle Ridge Middle School community,” Lopez said. “Our team shows up every day with heart.”

That instinct to share recognition and to center others is part of what has defined her 19 years in District 191.

Lopez began her career in 2007 as the district’s Latino Community Liaison, a role that has since grown into the broader Cultural Liaison program serving multiple languages and communities. If the title feels hard to define, the work is anything but.

“What I needed as a student and what my family needed when I was growing up was the same resources that now I am able to provide to the families and students that I work with,” Lopez said. “Cultural liaisons serve as a vital bridge between families and schools because we help navigate the complexities of the educational system, ensuring families have access to opportunities and the support their children need to succeed.”

At its core, the role is about relationships — built slowly, intentionally and with trust.

Before joining the district, Lopez volunteered with an organization supporting Latino students with homework. There, she saw both the potential and the gaps.

“I enjoyed working with students and families,” she said. “And I saw the growing need for advocacy.”

She stepped into the liaison role to fill that need and never left.

Over the years, Lopez has supported families through everyday challenges and milestones. But nothing compared to the urgency and fear that swept through the community during last winter’s Operation Metro Surge.

“It was overwhelming and there was a strong sense that we needed to act quickly,” she recalled. “The simple act of sending a child to school became a source of terror. Those conversations are impossible to forget.”

There was no “typical day” as Lopez and her colleagues answered call after call, coordinated with school staff, and worked to ensure each student could continue learning.

“Families needed a way for their children to keep learning safely,” she said. “We became one of their main connections to resources.”

Along with many district staff members, she found herself helping families navigate food access, emotional support, or simply helping them to understand what was happening around them.

Through it all, Lopez focused on one thing: showing up.

“Being present, responding as quickly as possible, documenting every need,” she said. “Doing everything we could to support each family.”

She leaned on her colleagues, her supervisor, and her family to find ways to keep going because she knew families were counting on her. That sense of responsibility is what defines the role of a Cultural Liaison, especially in moments of crisis. But it’s also what makes the everyday moments so meaningful. Lopez points to her work with student affinity groups as one of the most rewarding parts of her job.

“Seeing the bonds students form, hearing how much those spaces mean to them, it reminds me why we do this,” she said.

Those moments may be quieter than a crisis response, but they’re just as powerful. They’re where belonging takes root. The collective and continuous effort, not only in times of crisis but every day, reflects a broader truth about District 191: care is not a one-person job. It’s a shared commitment.

In many ways, Lopez sees her work not as extraordinary but as necessary.

“When families feel supported, empowered, and welcome in our schools, their child has a better chance at success,” she said. “That’s the goal. And it benefits all of us.”

It’s a simple idea, but one that requires consistency, empathy, and trust to bring to life. For Lopez, that work continues, one conversation, one family, one moment at a time.

And while awards may recognize her contributions, the real measure of her impact is found elsewhere: in the parent who feels less alone, the student who feels like they belong, and the community that grows stronger because someone took the time to show up.

In District 191, that’s what a caring community looks like.