No one career has ever perfectly suited Emily Bonilla’s life. Constantly searching for something to fill both her creative and professional needs has led her to boasting a lengthy resume with notches at Rutgers, various photo studios and even Harvard’s New York based film academy.
On Jan. 2, Bonilla will add Communications High School (CHS) Principal to her resume.
Bonilla was never the clean-cut professional seen today. Her younger self would be appalled to hear that she had decided to stay with school for a career. However, she thinks this was the reason why she chose to go into education. Often unengaged by traditional teaching methods, there was one thing that Bonilla could use to connect her back to learning: art.
“If you told my high school self that I was gonna be a school administrator, I’d be like ‘you’re crazy’ cause I also got in a lot of trouble,” Bonilla said. “I love [schools] where students have a passion for the arts. That’s what I get even with students, the more you put yourself into something, the better you can help others, but also learn yourself.”
Bonilla sees every moment as an opportunity to learn more about herself. Despite working alongside people who know exactly where they will be in 30 years, she takes life as it comes at her along with all of its trials and tribulations. When looking for the next stage in her career, she doesn’t look to fulfill invisible goals. Instead, Bonilla always thinks about the real people her work affects.
“It’s not about money or the title,” Bonilla stated. “Because I think if you do take that linear path, once you hit those goals, if you’re not experiencing the joy that you thought you would be facing, you lose the passion for whatever you’re passionate about.”
Don’t fret; she certainly has a passion for CHS—in fact, she has since the very first moment she drove down New Bedford Road. However, she didn’t always know CHS existed, when she initially passed by she thought Wall High School was expanding.
“I looked it up and it turned out to be you guys,” she explained. “I was so captured by everything I found on the internet, I immediately called the office to see if you were hiring, but obviously you weren’t. It has been on my radar ever since, when I saw the hiring notice I practically pounced.”
Now, as the incoming principal of the school she once drove by, Bonilla has big shoes to fill. While she may not have the stature of 25 years reigning over CHS, she still has crucial advice she wants to provide students: respect each other and give everyone room to grow—even her.
“You’ll get jokes and you can make fun of me, I’m not going to take it personally, but I will also sometimes give it back,” she joked. “If you can communicate with each other, and at least then get to the point of resolve and know that we’re still supporting the same mission, then that’s the most important thing.”
