[0:00] This job has helped me come full circle [0:02] in that what I needed as a student and [0:05] what my family needed when I was growing [0:08] up was the same support and resources [0:12] that now I'm able to provide to the [0:15] families and students that I work with. [0:21] I have worked for district 191 for 19 [0:24] years. Cultural liaison are so vital to [0:28] our district because they're a bridge of [0:31] communication to help families feel [0:34] informed, connected, and feel [0:37] comfortable at their school. I am [0:40] passionate about the work that I do [0:42] because I see myself in the students and [0:45] the families that I work with. I have [0:47] lived and my family has lived through [0:50] many of the challenges that our Latino [0:52] families face. As an elementary student [0:55] and part of my middle school journey, I [0:58] was part of a migrant family. We move [1:00] around to different states for harvest [1:03] season. And so I missed a lot of school [1:06] and we lived in migrant camps during [1:08] that time. And I remember social workers [1:10] coming into the migrant camp and [1:12] supporting my parents and supporting my [1:15] older siblings just connecting them to [1:18] school resources and even some [1:20] scholarships we created for migrant [1:22] students. I was able to benefit from [1:24] those scholarships to go to college [1:26] myself. Some of the barriers that our [1:29] families face are obviously the [1:31] communication barrier. If families come [1:33] from a different country, many times the [1:36] school system is different from our [1:39] system here. And so we help them [1:41] understand the school processes. They [1:44] need the student support team to wrap [1:46] around service for their student while [1:48] they're here at school because at home [1:50] they're facing a lot of different [1:51] challenges. We started a homework club [1:54] for elementary kids in one of the [1:56] community centers. And that homework [1:59] club was very popular with the families [2:01] and the students because it was right [2:03] where they lived. And we connected with [2:05] community organizations that helped [2:07] provide food and just school supplies [2:10] for the students. I'm so proud of [2:12] working for District 191 because it does [2:15] embrace diversity. I get to work with [2:21] diverse colleagues, diverse families [2:23] from all walks of life, from many, many [2:25] different cultures. And I know that the [2:28] district embraces that and that there's [2:30] many programs that support all of us. [2:34] Families, I just want to make sure that [2:36] you know we are here to serve you and [2:38] help you, empower you, connect you with [2:42] your school and your school community. I [2:45] hope that you feel confident that you're [2:46] sending your child to a great school, a [2:49] school that values you and them, and [2:54] that they are safe with us.