PEARLL Scholars

Alma Canales

Alma C. ‘25 Master of Arts in Transformative Education with a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish. 

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Growing up bilingual, I find myself navigating the various layers of my identities that allow me to indulge in American and Latin American cultures. I am motivated to bring Latinx representation into classrooms to create an environment that is inclusive, and respectful of everyone’s experience. 

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I believe the Project PEARLL Teacher Scholarship aligns with my teaching philosophy. I want to promote divergent thinking amongst all my students and show them how their intersectionality brings value to our learning.

Ana Rivas Maravilla

Ana R. ‘24 Master of Arts in Transformative Education with a Multiple Subject Credential. 

What inspired you to become a teacher?

My goal as an educator is to help English Learners embrace their first language to support their English development. I would like to refine my teaching skills to create a welcoming environment for all students so they can succeed. 

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I believe my participation in this scholarship will help me grow as a bilingual educator in order to support my students. I grew up in the same neighborhood many of my students grew up in and would like to ensure they receive the best education possible. Many families from this neighborhood are immigrant workers and at times we have students who recently came from another country.

Anthony Lagrange-Rojas

Anthony L. ‘24 Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a Elementary Education Credential. He has many family members in the field of education so he has witnessed the sense of purpose that this field can instill. His aspirations to build strong school communities have been reinforced through his studies.

What inspired you to become a teacher:

I have a lot of family in education like principals and others who work in districts. I have been able to see how much fulfillment they have had during the years. As I started to work, I enjoyed seeing how rewarding it could be for me and students.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

It seems like a high level of involvement and a good transition into my career. This feels very real coming into my junior year.

Belen Puerto

Belen P. ‘25 Master of Arts in Transformative Education with a Multiple Subject Credential.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I entered the field of education because I have always seen my education experience as a positive in my life. I had always loved school and learning, but I never truly connected with my teachers until I was in 6th grade. I met a teacher that knew and lived my culture, spoke like me, and was relatable to childhood experiences and Latino upbringing. Having that one educator motivated me as a student to accomplish more than I thought academically possible. It is because of this first connection and many more after that I wanted to become a leader by becoming an educator.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

Being an educator for English Learners has been and continues to be a privilege. This program can help me on my path to becoming a bilingual teacher and continue to question how I can become a better educator?  I hope that I can continue to motivate my students to bring in the different identities to the classroom to support and connect with their learning. 

Caden Young

Caden Y. ‘24 Master of Arts in Educational Studies with a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

What inspired you to become a teacher? 

As a teacher, I want to be the voice and support for students with learning differences. Having first-hand experience in school, I can see what students are going through within the school system and can help them based on my own experiences.  

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar? 

I am most excited by the prospect of expanding my horizons as an educator and an individual. I want to use what I learn here as a springboard to learn other languages on my own to better support ELs and bilingual students who I may teach in the future. 

Emerald Guzman

Emerald G. ‘24 Master of Arts in Urban Education with a  Bilingual Authorization in Spanish.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I have had a passion for working with children since I was younger. I enjoyed helping my grandmother in the preschool setting. As I waited for her to end her shift, I would organize the books for the teachers and pretend to be a teacher. These experiences at a young age helped shape the view I have of educators now. I always sought to be someone who could bring enjoyment into learning like my grandmother did. 

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

Being a part of the PEARLL scholarship program excites me because it offers a unique opportunity to engage with a diverse community of scholars and experts who share a passion for advancing knowledge in my field.  The program's emphasis on fostering innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration further motivates me to contribute meaningfully to the scholarly community and make a lasting impact in my chosen field.

Estepani Venegas

Estepani V. ‘25 Master of Arts in Transformative Education with a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

I am passionate about giving back to the community that I am from. I believe that by helping students who might come from a similar background to mine feel confident in school and not intimidated, I can make a positive impact on their lives.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I am eager to complete course requirements before the start of the next school year, as it will enable me to apply for a dual-immersion program and better serve English Language Learners in the classroom.

Hugo (Isabel) Jimenez

Hugo J. ‘25 Master of Arts in Transformative Education with a Multiple Subject Credential.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

As a Spanish speaker, I did not realize that there are very few bilingual teachers prior to joining my program. I now see the importance that bilingual teachers have, especially their ability to support students' communication skills.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

Being able to apply for this scholarship is a huge privilege for me. At the core of its mission, the scholarship embodies the triumphs I want to accomplish as an educator. As a first-generation and low-income student, the scholarship would open new doors that would allow me to continue adding skills to my educative arsenal.

Katherine Rodriguez

Katherine R. ‘24 Master of Arts in Elementary Education with a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish. 

She is very excited about supporting bilingual students succeed in school in both their native language and English.  When she was in school, she did not get a lot of support as a Spanish speaking student so she is motivated to ensure her Spanish speaking students are supported.  

What inspired you to become a teacher:

Ever since I was a little girl I have always wanted to teach. I have always enjoyed working with children and want to make a difference with the new generation to come. Helping people has always been something I enjoy. Seeing that look on a student's face when they finally understand something is great.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I am looking forward to getting to work with Bilingual students. My culture is very important to me so I want to help others embrace their culture.

Monet Thompson

Monet T. ‘24 Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting with an Elementary Education Credential.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Everyone in my life knew I wanted to be a teacher except me. I tutored a student and I was able to help them achieve. I wasn’t expecting to see someone progress that quickly.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I am excited to do things that feel more interactive and to step into a professional space. I am also looking forward to hearing more from people who have been studying Bilingual Learners and English Language Learners and getting more into the research spaces.

Sara Bunge

Sara B. ‘24 Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts with Elementary Education Credential. She credits her transformational experiences abroad with instilling an interest in learning about languages, cultures and connecting with others. Sara studied Spanish for 12 years and has been able to use her skills while working with students in Costa Rica and Los Angeles.

What inspired you to become a teacher:

I was impacted by educators. I have found it so important to create connections with the people who are educating me. They are superheroes, inspiring, knowledge-carrying people. Seeing them and viewing them as idols, people that I wanted to be like inspired me. When I started student teaching – I saw that can make an impact on students, some days the whole class, some days one kid and felt the same level of fulfillment.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

PEARLL is collaborative and an opportunity to get yourself out there in more school districts. I’m excited to keep up my Spanish and trying to speak it when I can. To be able to speak it at work is an exciting way to integrate that into my passion.

Shana Salcedo

Shana S. ‘24 Master of Arts in Transformative Education with a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish.

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Having experience working at other schools, I found supporting students in a bilingual setting fascinating. My current work has made me reflect and grow as a person. It allows me to feel empowered by my culture and language.

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I am interested in this scholarship because I am honored and privileged to work in a bilingual setting. As a former English language learner, I have the experience and compassion to teach our students. This program can help me towards my career goals of working in a bilingual program.

Zijing Zhou

Zijing Z. '24 Master of Arts in Elementary Education with a Bilingual Authorization in Mandarin.

 She decided to come to the U.S. from China because she wanted to work with multilingual students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Zijing also wants to support second-generation Chinese immigrants speak, read, write, and understand their home language so they can better communicate with their family members.

What inspired you to become a teacher:

I am from China, Shanghai and grew up there. I studied in UT Austin – John Hopkins and had one year teaching in an afterschool bilingual program in LA. If want to be a qualified teacher in U.S., I need a totally different learning experience. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was seven or eight years old. I want to be a leader in my classroom and want students to become a comprehensive person to have success in academic areas for their future lives. 

What excites you about being a PEARLL scholar?

I’m really excited. I did not grow up in the U.S. so I’m looking forward to seeing more school districts. I want to see more schools, especially those that have bilingual Mandarin program to help me seek a job in the future.