Biography
I am proud to be a first generation Mexican-American. My parents migrated from Mexico under the “Brazeros” program as agriculturists. As a child, I worked the fields picking chili and onions alongside my parents and siblings. We always lived a simple life, but it was clear to me that whatever it was that I decided to do, the quality of my work could not be less than commendable. I recall being eager and excited to begin school, but it was not long, before school would become a dreadful task. I was “different,” to say the least, from everyone else in my class. I was in a monolingual class but did not speak a word of English and on top of that, my religious beliefs were challenged on a daily basis. It was not until I entered Second Grade that my teacher Ella Owens, gave me back my sense of worth. By her example, I learned that a teacher can make a difference in the lives of students.
In 1997, I began working for Canutillo Independent School District as a Reading Intervention Facilitator. For the following thirteen years, my job was to help at-risk students in the area of Reading. The extensive training I received in the five components of Reading, Dyslexia, and multisensory teaching techniques helped me to minimize the gap for these struggling students. My career took a different path after 2001 due to NCLB's requirements for paraprofessionals. At this point my main challenge was going to college because I had never attended any higher-education institute. I was a single-parent of two boys and could not afford to lose my job, so multi-tasking became a way of life for me. I worked full-time, and with the help of my father, raised my boys and attended college in the evenings and weekends. I graduated from El Paso Community College with an Associate's Degree in Teacher Preparation and in May of 2010, I proudly became the first person in my family to graduate from a University. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor's Degree in Education. In January of 2011, I began my formal teaching career as a Second Grade Teacher. That was the worst and the best year thus far. That February, I lost my beloved father and the following month was honored to be the Teacher of the Year for Deanna Davenport Elementary School. Currently, I continue teaching Fourth Grade.
Becoming an Educator has had its share of stumbling blocks which have made this journey a difficult one; but, I thank the man upstairs for giving me the strength to persevere.
I am proud to be a first generation Mexican-American. My parents migrated from Mexico under the “Brazeros” program as agriculturists. As a child, I worked the fields picking chili and onions alongside my parents and siblings. We always lived a simple life, but it was clear to me that whatever it was that I decided to do, the quality of my work could not be less than commendable. I recall being eager and excited to begin school, but it was not long, before school would become a dreadful task. I was “different,” to say the least, from everyone else in my class. I was in a monolingual class but did not speak a word of English and on top of that, my religious beliefs were challenged on a daily basis. It was not until I entered Second Grade that my teacher Ella Owens, gave me back my sense of worth. By her example, I learned that a teacher can make a difference in the lives of students.
In 1997, I began working for Canutillo Independent School District as a Reading Intervention Facilitator. For the following thirteen years, my job was to help at-risk students in the area of Reading. The extensive training I received in the five components of Reading, Dyslexia, and multisensory teaching techniques helped me to minimize the gap for these struggling students. My career took a different path after 2001 due to NCLB's requirements for paraprofessionals. At this point my main challenge was going to college because I had never attended any higher-education institute. I was a single-parent of two boys and could not afford to lose my job, so multi-tasking became a way of life for me. I worked full-time, and with the help of my father, raised my boys and attended college in the evenings and weekends. I graduated from El Paso Community College with an Associate's Degree in Teacher Preparation and in May of 2010, I proudly became the first person in my family to graduate from a University. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor's Degree in Education. In January of 2011, I began my formal teaching career as a Second Grade Teacher. That was the worst and the best year thus far. That February, I lost my beloved father and the following month was honored to be the Teacher of the Year for Deanna Davenport Elementary School. Currently, I continue teaching Fourth Grade.
Becoming an Educator has had its share of stumbling blocks which have made this journey a difficult one; but, I thank the man upstairs for giving me the strength to persevere.