Erisan Villafana Torres
Year Graduated: 
2020

Bilingual/Biliterate Community/Family Liaison

Humboldt County Office of Education

Job description

I advocate for families to make sure they can be engaged in their students’ academic success by providing interpretation and translation services and facilitating and building positive relationships between parents, students, HCOE and other Humboldt County organizations and communities.

Why did you choose this program?

I selected this program because I wanted to further develop my Spanish language. I grew up speaking Spanish as my first language, but I didn’t study the grammatical structure side of the language as much. Selecting this program not only helped me learn why conjugations sounded correct in my head, but it also helped me learn so much about the culture and the language through some amazing and inspiring literature.

How did this program prepare you for your job?

I am an introvert. I had some people skills before, but the classes in the program really helped me come out of my shell and be less afraid to speak up in front of a crowd or having a one on one conversation with a stranger. This skill has helped me tremendously because I knew I wanted to help others, but I did not know how to. Now as a bilingual community liaison, my voice matters. It is no longer just my voice, it is the voice of the community. The program also helped me understand the grammar side of the language and now I am able to successfully translate all sorts of documents.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

I enjoyed connecting with so many wonderful individuals. I had some incredible experiences meeting new people from so many different backgrounds. Some are similar to mine and some are on the complete opposite spectrum. These people were very important for my personal growth as a person and as a member of society. Thanks to the program I was also able to study abroad and experience firsthand some of the wonderful things my family's home country has to offer.

What would you say to prospective students who are thinking about applying to this program?

Learn a new language. Join a new language community. As a society we are focusing more and more on technology, which is not a bad thing, however, we can’t forget the languages that brought us together in the first place. In the long run, knowing more than one language makes you more valuable, because you will be able to connect with that many more individuals. We can only fully advance forward if we understand how we got here.

Other comments?

Photo taken during study abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico.

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