Language is my playground and my workplace. As a first generation Dominican-American, I have lived my whole life between languages. From an early age, I learned the power of language as I often had to serve as translator and interpreter for my parents despite being just a child. I was perplexed at how my parents, these wise giants who took care of me, were sometimes dependent on me for communication. I understood then that language equals access. Access to information, access to resources, and access to people. I decided that I wanted to be a bridge between the worlds that I had access to. In order to achieve this, I knew I had to become fully literate in both languages, so I made sure to study Spanish throughout my schooling despite being teased by my peers for "going after easy A's". However, I understood that I was becoming highly literate in English, and I knew that I needed to go out of my way to assure that I was just as literate in Spanish.Along the way, I also fell in love with writing and using language as a craft in both languages. In college, I majored in Spanish and completed a certification program in Literary Translation. The most fun I had academically was taking what was not just someone else’s words on a page but someone’s work of art and translating it, making it accessible for a new audience through my efforts. Once again, using my language skills to bring access. Since graduating from college, I have worked extensively with both languages, whether through teaching, translating, interpreting, or writing. I truly enjoy traversing languages professionally and for fun. It is my passion and I will continue to use these skills to help people gain access to education, information, and the beauty of the written word.
Listed skills include Spanish, Microsoft Office, Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel, and 37 others.