MassLive recently asked readers to identify people they consider Hispanic and Latino leaders in Massachusetts, working to make a difference across the state.

Profiles of these leaders will be published over the course of Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. These are people readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.

Her story: Growing up in a largely white suburb in Utah, Veronica Ramos Rowlinson rarely saw herself reflected in her education, either what it was she was learning or those who were teaching it to her.

Rowlinson did not have a Latino educator until her sophomore year of college. It's that experience that his driven the English teacher and instructional coach at Somerville High School to "deeply [internalize] the importance of representation in education."

Rowlinson was recognized as a finalist for the 2023 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.

In her role in Somerville, Rowlinson aspires to ensure all of her students are "exposed to and appreciate a variety of perspectives in the classroom and to amplify voices from communities that have historically been marginalized or omitted."

Rowlinson is able to do so in part through the instructional coach role, where she focuses on how the school's English department approaches teaching. Her goal there is to examine, question and challenge the "narratives often explored in the ... classroom."

In her own words: "Our voices and stories matter. Though there are often spaces and faces that try to force us into the margins, we deserve to take up space. When we do, we make more space for the next generation to find their joy and passions. Use that voice!"