Raised by two Cuban Americans, I’ve developed an understanding of the Spanish language to the point where I can tell when family members are gossiping. However, I was never able to consider it my second language as my father felt that it was unwise for them to speak Spanish in front of me or my siblings. Despite that being a decision of his, I was still criticized by the family living in Florida or Cuba as they didn’t consider me a real Latina. 

Once entering Old Dominion University, I decided to enhance my understanding as well as educate others by participating in the Spanish classes offered at ODU. After completing my first few semesters of Spanish classes, I decided to specify my career focal point by including ESL in my career plan.