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My mother always said that I was born with a book in my hands. Ever since I remember, I loved education. When I was only three years old, I begged my parents to send me to the country school with my older brother who at that time was in first grade. After a lot of convincing, the teacher accepted me in her class and let me borrow one of her books to take home. I still recall the very distinct smell of that book and the brilliant yellows of its cover. I learned to read and write using that precious book. With constant use, it was all worn out. I recollect feeling very embarrassed when I returned it to my dear teacher. Soon after that, I went to live with my aunt in Bogota to finish my education, but I returned every summer vacation to my first school to teach the children how to read and write. One day, I decided to come to the United States on vacation. It was such a good experience that I decided to stay and go to school to learn English. My first formal English classes were at Los Angeles Mission College where I had very dedicated teachers who guided me into the Credit Program. I graduated with an Associate degree in Spanish and Child Development. Then, I transferred to California State Northridge to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and Spanish and a Master’s degree in Bilingual Bicultural Education with a TESOL component. I taught Spanish at California State Northridge. I also taught subjects such as Chicano Studies, English as a Second Language, Literacy for adults, and Computers at the college level. I am very proud to have worked with specially funded programs, such as Career Pathways and Women in Construction. Also, I directed the Literacy in the Native Language Program during the Amnesty days and the Bilingual Expressway Project which helped foreign professionals to integrate into the United States job market. Now, I am very fortunate to work with the Continuing Education Program at Los Angeles Valley College in the capacity of Community Liaison and ESL instructor. Throughout my career in education, my students have given me great satisfactions when I see them achieving their goals. I think the best way to summarize the way I feel about my career is to use a quote from the very famous motivational speaker Les Brown, “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.”
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