USC Hybrid High College Prep

Ms. DeRogotis

Principal, USC Hybrid High College Prep

Rachael (DeRo) DeRogatis graduated from the University of Southern California and received her Masters in Education from Columbia University. Upon graduating from college, DeRo joined Teach For America Chicago, where she taught English at Farragut Career Academy in Little Village. She joined the USC Hybrid High team in 2014 as a founding English teacher.

After three years of successfully teaching both 11th and 12th grade students at USC HHS, DeRo was appointed to serve as the Assistant Principal in 2017, and then Principal in 2020.

DeRo remains fully committed to the growth of USC Hybrid High School and the community it’s building for students and families, and she looks forward to the day it is named the best high school in Los Angeles.

Ms. MacMillan

Assistant Principal of Student Services, USC Hybrid High College Prep

Katie MacMillan Hernandez is the Assistant Principal of Student Services at USC Hybrid High School. After growing up in Colorado, she graduated from Harvard University and began her career as a teacher in Prince George’s County, Maryland. In 2016, she moved to Los Angeles, where she spent seven years teaching math at USC Hybrid High before stepping into leadership.

Ms. Mac loves working alongside students, families, and partners to build strong school communities and create meaningful learning experiences through opportunities like Flex, Senior Capstone, InTroVenture, and Advisory. Outside of school, she’s a big volleyball fan and believes the best schools—like the best teams—are built on trust and teamwork.

Ms. Henderson

Assistant Principal of Instruction, USC Hybrid High College Prep

Christin Henderson began her career in South LA as an 8th-grade ELA teacher with Teach for America. After serving as 8th Grade Team Lead, she joined Ednovate in 2020 as the founding AP English Literature and English 12 teacher at Esperanza College Prep. During her time at Esperanza, she served as English Department Lead, USC Rossier School of Education Guiding Teacher, and instructional coach. This year, she joined USC Hybrid High as Assistant Principal of Instruction. 

Mrs. Elliott

Dean of Culture, USC Hybrid High College Prep

My name is Tanisha Elliott, and I am a California native with a background rooted in leadership, service, and culture building. I began my professional journey during my junior year of high school when I joined the U.S. Army National Guard, serving from January 1996 to October 1997. This experience shaped my foundation in discipline, accountability, and teamwork.

After completing my military service, I joined Mattel, Inc. in December 1997, where I built a career spanning more than 20 years until July 2018. During this time, I became a mother in 2002 and remained committed to both my family and professional growth.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in 2010 and my Master of Business Administration in 2013, both from the University of Phoenix. My academic journey reflects my dedication to continuous learning and leadership development.

In 2021, I joined the USC Hybrid team as a Culture Team Member, where I worked to strengthen student engagement and school culture. In 2024, I was honored to be promoted to Dean of Culture, a role I currently hold. In this position, I lead initiatives focused on fostering a safe, inclusive, and positive learning environment for all students.

Ms. Hernandez

Interim Dean of Operations, USC Hybrid High College Prep

Estela Hernandez is a proud product of LAUSD and a first-generation college graduate who has always known she would return home to serve Los Angeles. She earned her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she majored in Peace and Justice Studies with a concentration in Public Education. Estela chose this path because she has long believed that students should not succeed by chance or luck, but through intentional, well-designed systems that ensure all families have access to opportunity and positive multigenerational change.

To prepare herself to do this work well, Estela intentionally sought experiences across TK–12 education and multiple settings, including Montessori professional development, Special Education classrooms, and school-based equity work. She began her career through Teach For America in Watts, teaching in a TK-2 Moderate/Severe Special Day Class, before joining USC Hybrid High School. She holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Cal State LA and brings deep classroom and systems-level expertise to her leadership.

Estela has been part of the USC Hybrid community for eight years because she believes deeply in its mission and in the people who serve students and families in South Los Angeles. She is especially proud to have led the first cohort of students with IEPs in Ednovate to achieve 100% acceptance to a CSU, and to have supported and helped launch the Alliance for Black Student Excellence by building the structures, systems, and support that allow Black students and advisors to lead with purpose. As both an administrator and a parent of a young child in public school, Estela is personally committed to building schools where every student is known, supported, and challenged to thrive.