PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — In 20 years of reporting, the formality question, “What is your job title?” has never made someone cry.

Until now.

I had asked Jomary Schulz her official job title as we walked the halls at a newly converted school in New Port Richey.

“I am principal of Mittye P. Locke Early Learning Academy,” Schulz responded proudly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I’ve worked so hard to get here.”

Schulz has taken over at the old Mittye P. Locke Elementary School. The Pasco County School Board voted unanimously last year to close that school and re-open it as an early learning education center. It will offer 10 classrooms (six for VPK, two for head start, two for varying exceptionalities) to help children prepare for kindergarten. Schulz will serve as principal.

“I’ve loved being able to have the opportunity to create something from scratch and do it the way I think best fits the students and teachers,” Schulz said.

It’s something Schulz has been thinking about for a long time.

At just 19 years old, Schulz owned her own preschool. She bought a building in Hudson and operated a preschool/daycare facility. Still a teenager, she knew her life’s passion was helping to mold 4-year-old minds.

“I think the 4-year-olds—they just have an inquisitiveness, they’re curious, they want to touch and explore,” she said.

But the school didn’t make it. Logistics, building codes and money stood in Schulz’s way. But she never gave up on her dream of running a preschool. She went back to school herself. Then she worked her way up the ladder in Pasco County, rising from intern to teacher to assistant principal to being named principal at Mittye P. Locke.

This is her second chance at fulfilling a dream born when she was a teenager.

“It’s overwhelming. I wanted this for a long time,” Schulz said, again growing emotional thinking about her journey. “I knew I could do it. Sometimes you just have to prove yourself.”

Mittye P. Locke Early Learning Academy’s first day will be Thursday. The state’s voucher program will cover the first three hours of VPK at the center. Parents can opt for a full school day by paying $100 a week.