Meet Ronnisha Peterson | Miss Dallas USA & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ronnisha Peterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ronnisha, what role has risk played in your life or career?
One thing that I have become that I wasn’t in my early 20’s is a calculated or intuition guided risk taker. A lot of times we think the best way to get something done is to take step one, then step two etc. “when we are ready”. What you have to realize is there’s certain things in life that you won’t be ready for until you jump in fully ready to try! I’m a Houston native, in the sense it’s where I was prior to going to undergrad, however I was dead set after going to Dallas for a concert while in college it where I was meant to be. It was nothing more nothing less. The only thing I did was pack up my stuff after graduating & stayed with a friend in Dallas. Within a week in a half everything fell into place. I got my first salary paying job & apartment.

With pageantry when I entered my first pageant a year ago, I knew I wanted to try 2 years prior, but felt I wasn’t “ready” I thought I had to be perfect in order to show up. I took a chance to reach out to a past title holder & that’s when she told me “just do it” she gave me a couple of amazing resources and told me to get at it. Two pageants later, 3 months after my second pageant, I was crowned Miss Dallas USA. Which would have never happened if I wasn’t willing to take the first risk. I met so many people along the way when I learned it’s absolutely okay to be seen trying!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been educator for 7 years that specializes in students with disabilities specifically in the content of math. I have only worked in title 1 schools, which are children that have socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. I’m lucky enough to say that I absolutely LOVE what I do, working with children has always been my passion.

Lucky, I knew what I wanted to do professionally my entire undergrad career. Which led me to obtain my Masters in Educational Leadership in 2020. I would say the education system within itself has a long way to go in order to make sure we are doing what is best for students and the educators to ensure they can give their best to students.

I’ve learned along the way of having good life and work balance, when you care so much you can see yourself putting aside your needs in order to do for others. You do learn along the way that if you aren’t taking care of yourself, mentally, emotionally and physically its impossible to do your job to the best of your abilities. I would want all teachers to know that it is important to have a identity outside of the classroom and to pour into other things that make you happy.

One of the things that I did overcome along the way was a contract discrepancy with a school district, where the contracts they were giving to teachers did not reflect the amount of money they were being paid. I took that time to utilize my voice at a board meeting and too asked instead of giving a standardized contract to give one that reflected what that actual teacher would be receiving. For teachers with families especially it would be a travesty if they were under the impression they would get a certain amount of pay and it being completely different. I received so much positive feedback, it was nice to know that I could speak up for my fellow educators.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love a good snack to Cookie Society is one of the place we HAVE to go for a delicious treat! I’m a huge fan for this nice bar with a very cool retro vibe called Double D’s as well!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would have to thank all my friends, family & sponsors! My mom & dad always believing I can make something out of anything, which makes it so easy for them to support me unwaveringly. My trainer Kofi & gym Momentum Fitness. My interview coach Heather Sumlin, Fairclaims Roofing, Muzzies, Shimmer boutique, FZ Dentistry, Make up artist Dane Udas, Hair Taylor, Bitcare Medspa, and so many more! My friends have been there along this whole journey and I’m forever grateful!

Website: https://ronnishapeterson.com

Instagram: @ronnisha

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnisha-peterson-889773108/

Youtube: @ronnishapeterson

Image Credits
@alexrenee.co