After taking English classes and a lot of self study, I learned enough of the language to enroll in college. I got my bachelor and master’s degree in Spanish at Brooklyn College and tutoring my fellow classmates helped me pay for my tuition. Since then, I worked as a part time Spanish substitute teacher and was promoted to a full time teacher in public schools in Brooklyn. In 2013 my hard work paid off when my students got a 100 percent pass rate in their Spanish Lote Exam (the new name for Regents in Foreign Language). While I was teaching, I continued to tutor students who needed help in Spanish of all ages and grades. I have a particular student of Russian decent who I’ve been tutoring since she was in Junior High. When she went to high school, she took Spanish as her language of choice. Her teacher even thought she was Spanish because she spoke the language very well. At the present moment, I am still tutoring her in Spanish but this time, her lessons are more conversational. Due to my struggles as an immigrant, I tell all my students that it’s very important to go to college and get their education because it is something that no one can take away form you. It’s their ticket to their freedom and independence. In my spare time I practice yoga, spend time with my daughters and read books.

Yoga, reading, traveling