Moses Herrera

My full name is Moses Uhilamoelangi Herrera and my family moved to East Palo Alto in 1983. I have participated in many community programs in East Palo Alto, such as the Leadership Training Academy (LTA) to the Unplugged program that used to be in the old Whiskey Gulch area where the Four Seasons stands now.

My uncle Senita Uhila, his wife Apollonia, and my mother Vaiolulu performed Polynesian dancing, and brought this art to the East Palo Alto community by teaching the youth. You can see it in the movie "Dreams of a City" where I am dancing when the princess of Tonga visited East Palo Alto. My wife Diana and I were once heavily involved in the Polynesian community and youth sports programs such as the Jr. Razorback Rugby club, but since we had kids we had to take a couple of steps back. As a former student of the Ravenswood School District who later experienced schooling in the Menlo Park and Palo Alto School Districts, it is my hope that all the kids in my community will experience that level of education. This is the reason I try to stay involved and help in any way I can– with my kids’ schooling or any other youth programs in East Palo Alto that may need help.

Diana and I have been involved with The Primary School ever since it was still a dream being created. My wife and I have three kids that are in TPS and its infant toddler program: Vaiolulu (Lulu) is in 5th grade, Moses (Moe) is in 1st grade, and John is in the next pre-school group that starts in August 2023.

My goal is to bring the best in education, opportunity, and community for all the families and students in TPS. I look forward to always being there to listen, learn, and work on making our school the best school!