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Served with Literacy First
Andrea completed their Service Year with Literacy First in Austin, TX, US.
Andrea began serving with Literacy First in Austin, TX, US.
Andrea was enrolled with Literacy First in Austin, TX, US.
My mom taught me how to read before I started first grade while we lived in Mexico. My mom and I moved to the US the summer of 1998 and I began 2nd grade enrolled at Wooldridge Elementary (Austin ISD) that school year. I do not recall learning how to read in English while I attended Wooldridge, until the end of 5th grade. When I began Middle school I was placed in English classes only, but I did not know how to read or write in English. 6th grade was probably the most difficult year in my elementary school years because I had to teach myself how to read and write. Thankfully I already knew how to read in Spanish. It was a matter of learning a new language. I consider my self lucky in many ways. First, I had a mom and family who supported me and provided everything in their reach for my wellbeing. My family is also a strong believer in education, civic engagement, and social justice. Secondly, I am extremely driven and I more often than not reach goals I set for myself. These two factors were crucial and allowed me to teach myself how to read and write in English without individual attention, without a parent that could teach me a new language, without a Literacy First Tutor. I understand that my circumstances are unique and that they are potentially rare. I know that thousands of kids of a similar background -minorities non-English speakers, immigrants, from a one-parent household, underprivileged in Central Texas need a Literacy First Tutor as I did in my elementary school years. It would be an honor to work with children of my community (outside of my current capacity as a part-time legal assistant) and support them in their journey of language literacy. As you may see from my resume, I have experience working directly with children. While in college I worked for the Boys and Girls Club at Overton Elementary, I also worked as an Unaccompanied Children Legal Services Specialist and as a CPS Investigator. However, these experiences centered around very adversarial settings -Child Protective Services and Detention Centers specifically. I would love the opportunity to work with children in a setting design to teach an essential life skill like reading (and to love and enjoy reading), and to work for program design to empower and equip disadvantaged children, and to be a tutor to a child who needs the individual attention as I did. I truly believe in Literacy First's mission. Addressing the literacy gap is a great way I can serve my community and meet a need that has plagued the region and that I have experienced first hand. At risk of sounding cheesy and conceded, I know that I am a "success" story. I think each child can be a success story, and that Literacy 1st program and the children it serves could benefit from qualified, knowledgeable, sensitive, passionate, and experienced individuals like me.
Analytic, Big picture thinker, Collaborator, Creative, Leader, Outgoing, People person , Planner, Problem solver , Systematic, Tactical
English, Portuguese
College Graduate