Honorable Luisa Santos

A proud product of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), education advocate, successful entrepreneur and now the youngest ever School Board Member, Luisa Santos represents everything great about Miami Dade County Public Schools.

 She moved to Miami from Bogota, Colombia when she was eight. During her junior year of high school, Luisa discovered she was undocumented. College seemed an impossibility, but she persisted — starting her higher education at Miami Dade College and eventually becoming a proud U.S. citizen. 

 Luisa went on to intern with the Undersecretary in President Obama’s U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC while completing her studies in Political Economy and Education at Georgetown University. She knows teachers and school staff can change lives — she saw it first-hand teaching 4th graders and leading a mentoring and advocacy literacy program for historically underserved students. She eventually came home to Miami to launch her own business, Lulu’s Ice Cream, through which she has reimagined what students can learn in the workplace. 

Luisa’s story has featured in top publications, including Forbes, Glamour, The Miami Herald, and in national TV ads. She even spoke at the White House for the Latinas in the U.S. Summit and was named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Florida by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Luisa’s career narrative as a change-agent, thought-leader, mentor, and education advocate was built on what our public schools taught her. She now serves as an elected leader to ensure all students have an excellent and equitable school experience that sets them up to succeed in the real world. Learn more about Luisa’s efforts at www.luisasantos.com. 

Luisa, you are a true embodiment of the American Dream and we are proud to have you as a member of this community. Thank you for your continued mission to enhance our education system. 

We would like to remind residents that School Board Member Santos offers appointments at Village Hall the 2nd Thursday of the month.  Available times are 9 am to noon.  Click here to make your appointment online.