My name is Margarita Bacigalupo. I was born in Lima, Peru and came to the States with my husband and three-year-old son about 20 years ago looking for a better life and future. My parents left me their legacy of love, hard work and dedication to help people of all cultures and to enjoy working very hard with passion and understanding of the community.

I have had the most rewarding experiences working with children, adults and families of all backgrounds. I have learned how to value, appreciate and enjoy people of so many cultures. I love teaching Spanish, ESL and being a Parent Academic Liaison in southeast San Diego, a neighborhood surrounded by crime, drugs, street and home violence and poverty. A hundred percent of my students are minority low-income children, most of them Latino first generation or second generation. Many of them struggle with poverty, behavior, emotional struggles; learning English and academics. Their parents may have two jobs; are not documented; do not speak English; are physically or verbally abusive with their children or have partners that are in jail. Children and families learn to live with very limited resources, hardships and frustrations. Their hopes in a better future are very discouraging.

A lot of people ask me why I love to teach and dedicate myself to the community in such a challenging environment, as I can easily choose to work in a middle-class school in my district. My reasons are very rewarding. I feel that I can make a big difference in the life of my students, their parents and the community.

I volunteer in the school community and teach children and parents after-school and during weekends. I love recruiting and organizing volunteers to help me co-teach the G.E.D, computers, ESL, SSL, folkloric dances, zumba, salsa, multicultural art, spelling contests, etc. I have seen parents and children who attended our after-school classes receive scholarships and grants and being accepted into universities and colleges. They also became volunteers and help other parents and children in our program. I am very grateful to my school principal and vice principal, the staff and parents, and the district staff in the Parent Involvement department (PAL Coordinators) who support my efforts very much and let me use my classroom to provide these after school activities for the community.

It is so rewarding to feel the love and gratitude of so many parents, community organizations, students and staff who treasure the job I do. I have made a great connection with so many parents, volunteers, and community leaders who help each other and help me organize community events to promote math and literacy, art, music, dance, science and parenting. I have been writing grants and have been so lucky to receive many grants year after year to purchase the equipment, folkloric outfits, art supplies, books, prizes, food, P.E. equipment, and other supplies to organize all year long school-wide and community events for this purpose. The planning, conduction and coordination of the activities take so much of my personal time, but I am always supported by my husband and children who participate and support the activities.

My mother and father were teachers all their life in Peru. They worked with children and adults living in extreme poverty. I have always admired their work, their love and dedication. My mother took my sister and I to her job to help her students. They were both my inspiration and will always be.

I obtained several credentials, a bachelor and master’s degree in education and I am now working at the final stage of my dissertation on the Importance of Bilingual Education and Home-School-Community Involvement. I was inspired to get all my degrees because of the students, parents and community. I am doing so much research on how to help English-language learners succeed in school and how to effectively involve all the parties: school-home-community. I have never stopped furthering my education since I arrived to the States. I am also planning to write a book related to my dissertation.

Margarita Bacigalupo attended United States International University, San Diego, CA (Master’s in Education TESOL); San Diego State University (Multiple Subject Bilingual Teaching Credential BCLAD/GATE Certification/Administrative Credential/Single Subject Spanish Credential).