{"id":174649,"date":"2026-02-12T06:20:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174649\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T06:20:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:20:20","slug":"black-history-month-kcsos-leadership-rooted-in-service-mentorship-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174649\/","title":{"rendered":"Black History Month: KCSOS Leadership Rooted in Service, Mentorship & Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Each February, Black History Month honors the contributions of Black Americans who have shaped communities and created pathways for future generations, celebrating both achievement and the enduring power of legacy. At KCSOS, that legacy is reflected in the daily work of educators and staff whose leadership is rooted in mentorship, service, and belief in others. The stories that follow highlight just a few individuals whose examples continue to influence careers, strengthen teams, and create lasting impact across the organization.<\/p>\n

Service Rooted in Purpose<\/p>\n

Long before she held a leadership title, Carla Barrientos learned what service looked like inside a special education classroom \u2014 standing beside her mother, a special education teacher, as she supported students learning skills that would change their lives. That early exposure left a lasting imprint, shaping not only Barrientos\u2019 career path but her understanding of leadership as something grounded in advocacy and care.<\/p>\n

Barrientos currently serves as a Program Coordinator for the Kern County Consortium SELPA at KCSOS, where she works alongside districts and specialized service providers to ensure students with disabilities receive high-quality, meaningful support. That includes occupational therapists, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, nursing staff, audiologists, and an audiometrist.<\/p>\n

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Carla Barrientos poses with a photo of her late mother outside of her office in east Bakersfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her connection to special education began years before her professional career. Growing up, as Barrientos spent time helping in her mother\u2019s classroom, she developed relationships with students and witnessed firsthand the impact of instruction rooted in dignity and high expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved helping out in her classroom and working with her students,\u201d she said. \u201cHer students loved me, and I loved them. We just understood each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrientos recalls watching her mother teach life skills many take for granted \u2014 from navigating public spaces to self-advocacy \u2014 while also supporting families with care and consistency.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe taught skills such as going to a restaurant, paying at a store, using a cell phone, and advocating for oneself,\u201d Barrientos said. \u201cThose skills were truly life-changing for students and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother\u2019s influence became even more meaningful after her death, Barrientos says, as those early lessons took on new weight and purpose. The values she modeled \u2014 compassion, grace, and steady leadership during difficult moments \u2014 continue to guide Barrientos\u2019 work today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching how she worked with colleagues and administrators, always with grace, even during uncertain times, had a lasting impact on me,\u201d Barrientos said. \u201cHer example reminds me that there is always a way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrientos joined KCSOS in 2006, later working briefly in a local school district before returning to teach in the Special Education Department for ten years. She went on to serve as a Program Specialist with a behavior emphasis for nearly eight years before transitioning into administration. She is now in her second year as a Program Coordinator.<\/p>\n

While she is no longer in the classroom, Barrientos says her work remains closely connected to student outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most meaningful part of my work is seeing our staff experience big wins with student progress,\u201d she said. \u201cKnowing that I am supporting and empowering others to do their best work, with care for their craft, compassion for students and families, and a strong commitment to student success, is incredibly rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Personal Experience to National Conversation<\/p>\n

Barrientos\u2019 leadership in special education was shaped in part by an early experience with exclusion in a very different setting \u2014 one that would later become part of a national reckoning.<\/p>\n

When White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch premiered on Netflix in 2022, it reignited a national conversation about race, exclusion, and power in the workplace. The documentary examines how one of the most influential retail brands of the 1990s and early 2000s built its identity around a narrowly defined image \u2014 and the real human cost of that strategy.<\/p>\n

Among the voices featured is that of Barrientos, whose experience as a young employee at an Abercrombie & Fitch store in Bakersfield placed her at the center of a system that quietly reinforced discrimination.<\/p>\n

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Under the leadership of former CEO Mike Jeffries, who ran the retailer from 1992 to 2014, Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s boasted about its exclusion of people who didn\u2019t fit its \u201cideal\u201d audience. The company described its market as being thin, hot, and popular. <\/p>\n

Abercrombie & Fitch\u2019s modern day marketing campaigns and company culture are markedly more inclusive than they were in the 1990s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n

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Hired as a brand representative while attending Cal State Bakersfield, Barrientos instead found herself assigned to back-of-house work, denied sales-floor opportunities, and eventually pushed out \u2014 all while less-qualified coworkers were given visibility and hours.<\/p>\n

The film contextualizes Barrientos\u2019 story alongside others who experienced similar treatment, helping viewers understand how corporate policies and cultural messaging translated into everyday workplace realities. Through archival footage, interviews, and firsthand accounts, White Hot traces how these practices ultimately led to a landmark class-action lawsuit that forced the company to adopt more inclusive hiring and employment standards.<\/p>\n

For Barrientos, participating in the documentary was about more than revisiting the past. It was an opportunity to ensure that experiences like hers were acknowledged, validated, and learned from. The film also highlights how voices once dismissed helped drive systemic change \u2014 a theme that continues to resonate in conversations about equity today.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really great thing to know that a company won\u2019t be able to treat anyone like a second-class employee anymore,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Now, years later, Barrientos\u2019 work in special education reflects the same core values highlighted in the documentary: advocacy, fairness, and standing up for those whose voices are too often overlooked. Her presence in White Hot connects personal experience to broader social impact, reminding viewers that progress is often driven by individuals willing to speak out \u2014 even when it comes at a cost.<\/p>\n

While White Hot captures one chapter of Barrientos\u2019 advocacy on a national stage, the impact of her leadership is perhaps most visible in the people she supports every day.<\/p>\n

Colleagues such as Mylum Nicholson and Shinique Hammett describe Barrientos as a leader who creates space for others to grow \u2014 offering guidance without hierarchy and support without hesitation. Whether navigating complex special education systems or stepping into new leadership roles, they credit her with modeling what service-centered leadership looks like in practice.<\/p>\n

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Barrientos appeared in the Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a really great thing to know that a company won\u2019t be able to treat anyone like a second-class employee anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming Full Circle Through Mentorship<\/p>\n

When Mylum Nicholson first stepped into a special education classroom, it wasn\u2019t part of a long-term plan. It was a pivot made during the uncertainty of the 2008 recession \u2014 one that would ultimately define his career.<\/p>\n

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After graduating college into a struggling job market, Nicholson applied for a substitute instructional aide position at KCSOS through a connection from his mother. After rotating through several sites, he began working consistently at Aurora Learning Center, where he found both purpose and direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost 16 years later, I\u2019m now an administrator of the same program,\u201d Nicholson said.<\/p>\n

Nicholson serves as Vice Principal for Internal Special Education Programs in Region 2, supporting students and staff across the central region of Kern County. His role includes coordinating services for students with complex needs and assisting with placements for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and those with Emotional Disabilities.<\/p>\n

Early in his teaching career at Aurora, Nicholson met Barrientos, who served as his mentor teacher. He credits her with helping him develop strong classroom structure, effective behavior management strategies, and confidence in his instructional practice.<\/p>\n

Those early lessons continue to guide Nicholson\u2019s leadership today. While he once measured success by what happened inside his own classroom, he now finds meaning in supporting teachers as they grow and in seeing students succeed over time \u2014 even when progress is incremental.<\/p>\n

Throughout his career, Nicholson says he was shaped by mentors who challenged him to think intentionally about student outcomes and encouraged him to step into leadership roles. In addition to Barrientos, he was quick to thank KCSOS colleague Judith Noack, who provided Nicholson with his first opportunity as a teacher within her program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably would not have gone back to college to obtain my administrative credential without those experiences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For educators at the start of their careers, Nicholson encourages patience and self-compassion, noting that the first year can be overwhelming as new teachers begin to grasp just how much there is to learn. By the third or fourth year, he says, many start to feel more confident, grounded, and established in their roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to give yourself grace while you\u2019re figuring it out,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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Quiet Leadership Behind the Scenes<\/p>\n

For Shinique Hammett, leadership has taken a different \u2014 but equally impactful \u2014 form.<\/p>\n

Hammett currently serves as a School Secretary supporting approximately 28 service providers in the SELPA department. Her role focuses on ensuring smooth daily operations through clerical support, accurate records management, consistent communication with families, providers, and districts, and administrative assistance that allows teams to focus on students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m most proud of is being someone my team can rely on,\u201d Hammett said. \u201cKnowing that my work helps remove stress from others and allows them to focus more fully on students is very meaningful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammett\u2019s path into education was driven by her love of learning and connection with students, particularly in special education settings where relationships and small victories matter deeply. She first joined KCSOS in 2014, later returning in 2024.<\/p>\n

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\u201cDon\u2019t let someone else\u2019s doubt or limitations define what you can achieve. Stay curious, ask questions, take risks, and trust yourself. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover just how capable you really are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Shinique Hammett<\/p>\n

During her early years at Aurora Learning Center, Hammett met Barrientos \u2014 an experience that left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven then, watching her in action left a mark,\u201d Hammett said. \u201cHer poise, leadership, and dedication to lifelong learning encouraged me to stand tall, take risks, and always strive to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammett continues to carry those lessons into her daily life. As she raises her 13-year-old daughter, she draws on Barrientos\u2019 example to model confidence, resilience, and inner strength. For example, everything can be discussed or reframed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of Carla\u2019s mantras has stayed with me: all \u2018no\u2019s\u2019 are negotiable,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s something I carry with me in my work and in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammett also credits personal challenges, including serious health experiences, with shaping her perspective and reinforcing the importance of determination, empathy, and perseverance \u2014 qualities she brings to her role every day.<\/p>\n

That perspective has shaped how Hammett approaches her work and the way she shows up for others \u2014 with steadiness, intention, and a belief in growth, even during difficult moments. For Hammett, the lessons she has carried forward are as much about mindset as they are about skill.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let someone else\u2019s doubt or limitations define what you can achieve,\u201d she said. \u201cStay curious, ask questions, take risks, and trust yourself. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn, grow, and discover just how capable you really are.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Each February, Black History Month honors the contributions of Black Americans who have shaped communities and created pathways…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-174649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}