As a special education paraeducator in Kalamazoo Public Schools, MEA member Shona Espinoza serves as a lifeline for many kids but can’t afford the level of health care or housing she needs for herself and her son.

Last year she moved home with her parents after a rent increase. Then her mother died, and her father — a retiree and military veteran — needed more help to make house payments. Espinoza had to turn down health insurance at work because the out-of-pocket costs were too much.

“Even from last year to this year, the price of everything is horrendous,” she said. “I know KPS staff right now that are literally unhoused. We’re a big district, and not one employee should ever be out on the street or on the verge, because we should have a thriving wage.”

The fight for fairness drew Espinoza to be a captain in the Michigan ESP Bill of Rights campaign, she said, “because we need a seat at the table.”

Community activism is not new to her, though she’s an introvert who avoids the spotlight. In 2020 she began locally campaigning for social justice and working to elect candidates for city and county offices after reflecting on her own difficult personal journey.

“I told myself when I first started doing this work that I’m going to push myself out of my comfort zone because it’s not about me. It’s about a better future for my kids.”

Espinoza is interconnected and active across many Kalamazoo advocacy groups, and everywhere she goes she speaks about the ESP Bill of Rights and gathers signatures in support.

She draws strength to keep going from her four children, all grown except for nine-year-old Syncere, who often joins her at meetings and events. Espinoza had her first child at age 16, which she now believes saved her from a destructive path.

“At the end of the day, I want to show my kids that no matter how hard it is to make change, it gets done if you follow through and do what you need to do.”

In her work as a paraeducator, she is a believer and encourager for students at-risk of dropping out, as she recalls a teacher still in the classroom — Michelle Wilson-Banks — once did for her. “Seeing these babies succeed in life is the greatest reward,” she said.

And she taps connections from her activism to access resources for students and their families experiencing hunger, housing instability, mental health struggles and other challenges.

Just as helping families also helps students, Espinoza knows meeting basic needs of all school employees will nurture the health of the entire school community and foster student success.

“Why wouldn’t we want the people working with our children — the most precious thing we have in life — to have a thriving wage?”

Related overview: The Michigan ESP Bill of Rights: an engine for advocacy

Learn more about the six elements of the Michigan Bill of Rights campaign through the stories of our featured captains: