I was born in Havana, Cuba on January 1st, 1957. My parents are Cuban and Chinese and, in 1969, we came to this country and made Lawrence our home. I attended the Oliver School and then graduated from Lawrence High School in 1975. Knowing that education is important, I continued on to UMASS Amherst and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1984. I have a thirty-one year old son of whom I’m very proud. He recently opened his own restaurant in the heart of Boston. In 1982, I started working at the Oliver School. I saw a very high rate of teenage pregnancy. It had a huge impact in the city. I felt that I needed to help women understand the importance of education in their lives. I know how hard it is to have a child and going to school at the same time.
I started working at The Community Group Inc. in 1984 as a substitute teacher and held several positions with the agency as Teacher, Training Coordinator, Co-Instructor of several college courses and Director of a preschool program and School-Age program. I’m currently the Manager of Bilingual Education. Through my different roles in the community I have taken the initiative to help families become stable by being a voice for their needs. During the holidays I’m the first advocate to get donations for the young children of the community.
I presently work with over 75 women who are attending Urban College of Boston planning to receive a bilingual certificate in early childhood education and to later continue with their Associates Degree. I continue to implement training programs to prepare minority women to be licensed as child care teachers. I coordinate all program components including work-based training and classroom instruction necessary to meet state licensing requirements.
My deepest desire is that more Latino Women get educated and have the opportunity to hold leadership positions. In my 25 years at The Community Group I have served as a role model for the community. I dedicate my career to help families in Lawrence succeed by achieving quality education not only for the little ones, but for the teachers who educate them as well! I vow to continue in this field for another 25 years.