PHYLLIS BARAJAS

Class of 1965
​Inducted in 1998

Phyllis was inducted into the SHSAA Hall of Fame in 1998.

Ms. Barajas, Deputy Director of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs in the United State Department of Education, has come a long way since she celebrated the Autumnal Equinox and Quimpissal Day in Norman Zinn's French class, or the hours spent in rehearsals for the Ambassadors, or one of South's musicals or plays.

Prior to being named to her current position, she was Assistant Dean for Human Resources at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University -- the first Latino to be named to an administrative post at the school. Dedicated to a lifelong commitment of helping others help themselves, Ms. Barajas has actively combined community volunteerism with her professional pursuits.

She was part of the team under Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn that focused on improving race relations in the city and has taken an active role in serving on several not-for-profit boards including the WGBH community boards, the Beth Israel Hospital ethics committee and as president of La Alianza - New England's largest service agency.