Ana Ponce grew up in a Los Angeles neighborhood where dropping out of school was a part of life. But she managed to become the first person in her family to attend high school. She then graduated and went on to college.

She became a teacher at a bilingual school where she offered to tutor students — sixth graders who couldn’t read or write in English or Spanish. “That, really, was what called me to this work,” Ponce said, referring to her work as CEO of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy. The network of public charter schools now serves more than 3,200 students near downtown Los Angeles.