Language for Learning

I am a passionate advocate for bilingual education, inspired by my dearest mentors—Dr. William Pulte, Dr. Stephen Krashen (who self-proclaimed himself as my "tío"), and Dr. Kathy Escamilla. Thanks to their influence on my career, I became a relentless warrior in addressing the teacher shortage in this field.

My journey began as a bilingual teacher making significant contributions to the profession, which opened doors for me to join higher education institutions. There, I played an instrumental role in developing and implementing both undergraduate and graduate Bilingual Teacher Training programs across North Texas. I’ve had the privilege of working with prestigious institutions such as East Texas A&M University–(Former Commerce, TAMUC)-, Southern Methodist University (SMU), Texas Woman’s University (TWU), and Texas Tech University (TTU).

In my previous role as Executive Director of Academic Community in the College of Education and Human Services at East Texas A&M, I was able to uncover new and strategic pathways to increase the number of bilingual teachers. My efforts focused on improving teacher retention and supporting dual language instructional strategies that promote academic success for language-minority students in public education.

As a former ESL student myself, I am deeply committed to advancing Spanish reading instruction in bilingual schools, both in the United States and internationally. As Co-chair of the National Association for Bilingual Education’s (NABE) Policy Makers Special Interest Group, I continue to be a strong voice for language-minority children, advocating for policies that support the bilingual education community.