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I'm a junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Bilingual
Elementary Education. The reason I chose this major is because I have first-hand
experience in this academic system. When I entered the second grade I only spoke
Spanish. In my classroom there was only one other child who spoke Spanish, but
he was bilingual. He was my only communication with my teacher and classmates.
The school I attended didn't provide a bilingual education program on-site, so
they sent me to another school in the mornings. This other school that was
suppose to help me learn English was a primarily Latino school and most of the
kids felt more comfortable speaking in Spanish. I wasn't learning a word and I
didn't even like the kids there. I was fortunate enough, however, to have a
teacher at my original school that took the time to offer me individual
attention in and outside of the classroom. Ms. Floyd would take me on walks
and point out different objects and name them. Her caring attitude and patience
gave me the confidence to make mistakes without feeling dumb. I want to be able
to offer other children the same special experience and the desire to learn. I
also want to be a helping factor in my Latino community. I think it is urgent
and detrimental to provide role models within our culture. This is the very
reason why I want to dedicate this web page to Christy Haubegger, founder of
Latina Magazine. She took the initiative to offer a venue that represents the
Latino woman.click here to go to Diana's page
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