Bilingual education candidates and faculty came together at the beginning of the spring semester to share space during the first annual Bilingual Education Social. The idea came from students who voiced the need to build community within the College of Education.
Cithlali Vazquez, a bilingual cohort candidate, was grateful for the support from faculty and administration.
“The ISU community should know that for many of us, it is rare to have a space for us to share our experiences and why we believe bilingual education is important to us and the future generation of students,” she said.
“The ISU community should know that for many of us, it is rare to have a space for us to share our experiences and why we believe bilingual education is important to us and the future generation of students.”
Cithlali Vazquez
Bilingual faculty made it a goal to provide more opportunities to build relationships among multilingual/multicultural students who have historically been underserved. The social was planned and joined by bilingual faculty and administration, including Dr. Tara Augspurger, Dr. Evelyn Baca, Dr. Woongsik Choi, Dr. Lara Handsfield, Dr. Allison Meyer, Dr. Erin Mikulec, Dr. Vivian Presiado, and Dr. Elizabeth Skinner.
Presiado welcomed students with Mikulec by telling them, “You are not alone.”
Student teacher Carlos Rodriguez said he appreciated the opportunity to engage with peers and faculty. “The bilingual program is an amazing program with excellent support and people,” he said. “The candidates benefit from their own cohort, establishing a strong community and support system among the other candidates and professors.”
Those who are just beginning their teacher preparation journey, such as Ivan Monay, said, “The most impactful aspect of the bilingual social was being able to talk to educators that look like me. We are small but mighty educators!”
Junior bilingual education major Maggie Simpson said she was encouraged by all the support shown by the faculty and administration.
Bilingual Education certification allows teachers to work in dual-language classrooms where content is delivered in English and another language. Fluency in English and another language is required for the endorsement and is built into the minor admission criteria.
“If you are bilingual pursuing a degree in education, maybe the bilingual/bicultural education program is a place you can call home,” Presiado said.
Several events were planned during the month of April in celebration of Bilingual Advocacy Week. One of the highlights was a keynote lecture with Dr. Jonathan Rosa, a Stanford University associate professor in the Graduate School of Education and the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. He spoke on the intersection between language and race and its impact on identity and schooling for Latinx students.
The bilingual education family also worked with the Student Association for Bilingual Education, the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies, and the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, in planning events.
In the spring, ISU bilingual education students partnered with the Urbana High School Dual Language Program to introduce first-generation Latine high school students to ISU’s program as potential future educators. Read more here.
*Dr. Vivian Presiado, Assistant Professor, Bilingual/Bicultural Education, was a contributing writer to this story.
