I live and work in Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating from Skidmore, I served
as a Teach For America corps member in Phoenix where I earned my teaching certification
with a bilingual endorsement. Currently, I am pursuing an MEd in Educational Leadership
at Northern Arizona University.
Every day I put my knowledge of Spanish language and Hispanic culture to use as
a bilingual elementary school teacher. Not only does my command of the language
enable me to communicate with my students, help them acquire academic content,
and aid them in improving their literacy skills in Spanish and English, it shows
them and their families how much I value them and their cultural backgrounds.
Given that Spanish is not my native language, it also models for students and
families the importance and enjoyment of acquiring a second language.
In addition to my teaching duties, I serve as the Bilingual Program Coordinator
at Ed & Verma Pastor
School. In this role, I coordinate language programming, student assessment, and
staff development
workshops related to language acquisition. I also work to influence district and
state language policy
to better meet the needs of English Language Learners.