Her walkie talkies are always buzzing, and her bun is perfectly done. She walks through the hallways with a pep in her step, on her way to tackle a problem she knows won’t be too big for her to solve — school business administrator Arlin De La Rosa.
This school year marks De La Rosa’s fourth year serving as an administrator for this school. In her title as school business administrator, De La Rosa supervises the school’s finances, which encompasses supervising the finance office, purchasing items for the school, overseeing the credit card use of the school (and using her own credit card for expenses if needed), tending to building service and community use of the building in general and overseeing both the cafeteria and main office staff.
De La Rosa is a D.C. native, and is not unfamiliar with MCPS as she is an alumna and has prior work experience in the school system. Before her career in MCPS, De La Rosa worked at places that were crucial for developing her professional skills. “I went to Einstein, then went to UMD College Park. After that, I worked through schools. I worked at a before-and-after-school care program, then worked up through the ranks there. I also spent some time working at the Embassy of the State of Kuwait. I was a counselor for them; I would oversee [students’] educational path as they worked through their scholarship since they would be approved by the State of Kuwait to come and study [in the United States]. They would get grants to work here and bring their families here; it was a great opportunity for them,” De La Rosa said.
Numbers and math have always come easy for De La Rosa, which is why finance and administration in particular have appealed to her. Before becoming a school business administrator, De La Rosa worked as a secretary for other MCPS schools. “I started at MCPS as a secretary, just a regular school secretary I at Takoma Park Middle School, then I went to Ritchie Park Elementary School as an school admin secretary, and then from there, I came here. I’ve always wanted to be in this position, but sometimes, it’s easier once you’re in [the school system] to shift through MCPS as opposed to coming from an outside source,” De La Rosa said.
In the jobs De La Rosa has had in MCPS, she has always carried a drive to look for solutions to impending problems. Despite her demanding and sometimes spontaneous job, De La Rosa said that one of the most rewarding parts is being able to help the students and staff around her. “If you bring me a problem, no problem is too big. We’ll find a solution and we’ll find some way to solve it. You can never plan [the day] out, even when you try to. You’ll hear my radios, they’re just always going,” De La Rosa said.
Outside of school, De La Rosa is a mother of two, one five-year-old and one three-year-old. She also has two German Shepherds, and in her free time, enjoys party-planning, spending time with family and staying active. De La Rosa likes to play and watch sports— just not basketball. “My husband coaches hockey so I’m constantly on trips to tournaments and my kids are already skating. I used to play flag football; I still play softball still,” De La Rosa said.
Her confidence and ambition is what makes De La Rosa an important pillar for the school. De La Rosa said that even mistakes are opportunities for growth, which is why rather than being discouraged by them, she strives to practice to the best of her abilities. She knows when to reach out for help and ensure that she is consistently following the rules in any situation.
De La Rosa’s empathy and hospitality is what makes her a person who anyone in the school can depend on, and a person who plays a key role in the stability of the school. “I just feel like growing up, I’ve always been a defender. I will always defend other people more than I defend myself. Growing up and seeing how other people are treated has always made me like a helper. And honestly, it brings me more joy sometimes to see someone else happy. Not that I don’t take care of my own happiness but if I’m able to help people, that’s what really helps me. At the end of the day, as long as you’re happy and as long as you know who you are, no one can tell you anything different,” De La Rosa said.
