My family is composed of my husband Luis, my 7 year old son Edwin, and my 20 month old daughter, Lindsey.

As an immigrant who wants to succeed, I started working at an office, doing secretarial work in 1991. I found an employer who had a great deal of patience. I learned from him all that is necessary to carry out my duties. I therefore have the ability to work with a computer loaded with programs that are indispensable to carry out the proper tasks for my job. Also, I have the opportunity to communicate and help people who have come to this country with the same dreams as I have.

It can be very hard to succeed in this country if one does not speak the language. The reason that I started studying English as a Second Language was because I already had a little knowledge of it, and I knew that it is the key to opening the door to a better life full of opportunities in one the best countries: the United States of America.

I am also studying English because I like to help my children with their schoolwork. One of my goals is to teach them and their classmates how to read and write. As a first step, I like helping my fellow ESL students with their math. I also do volunteer work at my child's school. Serving and working in the community appeals to me, but in order to do that well, I feel I have to learn better English. Another goal of mine is to become an accountant, therefore I must continue my studies in math.

Last, but not least, at the Educational Cultural Complex in the San Diego Community College District, I was lucky to find the best teacher I ever had, Mrs. Elvia Kerlick. She not only teaches ESL, but also Citizenship for Naturalization, and she includes mathematics, government, and history, too. That makes us all really appreciate her dedication.