Meet the Captain of our Ship, Mr. Ambrose!

I had an interesting time interviewing the man behind our A school, Mr. Robert Ambrose. In the interview I was able to learn about many things, ranging from education to  his personal life. Based on this interview, Mr. Ambrose has the values needed to be a principal. He offers leadership for teachers and students, and he also shapes the school’s vision of education. Mr. Ambrose wants the future of the school to continue to grow positively. Having been at Independence for so long,  Ambrose has been able to witness the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mr. Ambrose says his happiest moments are seeing kids graduate after they’ve struggled. He also explained how it hurts him deeply when students, that he tried to keep on track, give up and drop out. Although these examples seem so common, Mr. Ambrose also experienced some heartbreaking things. Mr. Ambrose said, “We’ve lost some very special people along the way, and it still hurts today.” However, with everything he has been through, he finds a way to keep his head up and fill the hallways with positive energy. These leadership values run in his DNA as his parents were both teachers. Ambrose has always enjoyed school, but faced challenges in certain aspects such as math. When asked what kind of student he was, Mr. Ambrose said, “I was a very average high school student.” Mr. Ambrose explained he was a B and C kind of student and even had to go through a community college before going to get first degree. Another challenge he faced was outside of school. Mr. Ambrose gave up a fairly high paying job to go follow his dreams of being in the education field. Obviously, he had grit and passion for what he wanted to do and had a plan of how he’d get there. Aside from education, Mr. Ambrose is a very easy going man with many points of interests. When asked what his outside life was like, Mr. Ambrose answered, “Calm, I like to keep my life pretty peaceful.”  After a day at school, Mr. Ambrose generally enjoys fixing cars and just relaxing with his dog. Mr. Ambrose isn’t really much of a social person, aside from simple greetings, because he’s struggled with being shy his whole life. However, when he goes out he loves his carne asada tacos from Rudy’s in San Diego, California. It’s clear that Mr. Ambrose is someone who offers great leadership through his example and hard work.