In honor of her outstanding contributions to education, Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) Principal Malinda Villalobos was recently inducted into the 2025 El Paso Commission for Women’s Hall of Fame.
YWLA, the city’s first free, public college preparatory school for girls in grades 6-12, is routinely named among the top-performing schools at Ysleta ISD, receiving high rankings on prestigious state and national lists, including the Texas School rankings, and the U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools and Best Middle Schools.
Villalobos has led YWLA since its inception in 2015 and its opening in 2016. She has worked in public education for more than 25 years, beginning her career as a third-grade teacher in Copperas Cove, Texas. In 1994, she moved to the El Paso area and began working as a sixth-grade teacher, later serving as a student activities manager, at-risk coordinator, and assistant principal at several middle schools before becoming a high-school assistant principal in 2002.
In 2006, Ms. Villalobos joined Ysleta ISD as principal of Eastwood Middle School, which earned several prestigious state and national honors under Villalobos’ leadership, including a re-designation as a Texas School to Watch, the National Excellence in Urban Education Award, and national Mix It Up Model School. Ms. Villalobos holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, and a master’s degree in educational leadership with a mid-management certificate from the University of Texas at El Paso.
The El Paso Commission for Women was formed in 1985, and its Hall of Fame was established in 1990 to honor outstanding women for their long-term contributions to the community. The El Paso Commission for Women is dedicated to advancing equal rights and opportunities for women through positive action and advocacy.
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