Learning by educating
The best way for me to learn is by working with and learning from Spanish speaking students and educators in their own voices.
I am a Francis Perkins Scholar and transferred from Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, MA. I came to the U.S in 2009 from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I was a Lieutenant for the Argentinean Coast Guard. I was an English Second Language for three years until I was confident enough to pursue an education.
When I first came to Mount Holyoke, I was undecided about my major and minor; however, I started working with the Holyoke Public schools with an after school program through the Community Based Learning department. Not long after, I took a class in Racism and Inequalities in Schools with Professor Dr. Daigle-Matos that opened my eyes to the current status of our education system.
Since then, I discovered a hidden passion for education and social justice in our schools. On campus, I try to raise awareness of the social disparities among our public schools and how minority groups are the ones affected by our weak system. Meanwhile, I am currently teaching Spanish in Holyoke High School and working as a CBL fellow for Spanish corps in Holyoke, MA. I believe that the best way for me to learn is by working with students and educators and learning about them from their own voices.
Nonetheless, this past summer, I spent two months living with an indigenous community in the Amazonian rainforest in Ecuador. I learned from this experience that there are a lot of changes to be made in the American education system. I know I stand where I am right now because of the people who I met during my educational journey.