PHOTO CUTLINE: From left, Sandra Quiñones, assistant professor of Literacy Education at Duquesne University, is presented an award by VU students Gabirelle Medrado, who is from Brazil, and Luis Martinez, joined by Zhe Ji, director of VU International Student Affairs. The award was in appreciation of the professor's keynote address at Latino Culture Night on Feb. 28 at VU, an event that also included presentations by Medrado, Martinez, and VU President Chuck Johnson. Originally from Puerto Rico, Quiñones attended an on-base U.S. Department of Defense school where she had few Latino teachers, started learning English in kindergarten, and took her first Spanish class in middle school. Her message emphasized how to bridge cultural differences and help Latino students accept and even take pride in their place in a bilingual, bicultural society. An educator for nearly a decade at the elementary, secondary, and college levels in New York State and Puerto Rico, Quiñones prepares new educators to think critically about how their backgrounds and viewpoints impact the way they teach. “I feel a civic responsibility to be an advocate,” she says. ###
