Experiences in life which have helped me grow.

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

A few experiences in life have helped me grow as a student, a husband, an educator, a father a world traveler.

As a very young adult I was a student. I graduated from Winona State in 1994. There I studied Communication Studies with a minor in International Studies.

Putting my international studies minor to use, after graduation, I joined the Peace Corps. There I served as a volunteer health educator in a small rural health center in a municipality in southwest Nicaragua. I taught 45 volunteer health promoters how to better educate the residents of their respective communities the importance childhood immunizations; the importance of nursing infants vs. immediate use of formula; protection against illnesses like dengue and malaria. That seems like a lot, but,after-all, I will admit that I learned more from the residents I served than they learned from me. Although what I offered to them may have helped them keep healthy and safe (definitely something they needed), I walked away with so-called, “soft-skills”. Skills such as Spanish, and an appreciation for cultures, and an historical learning for the region and culture.

After my service I married a native whom I worked with and moved to a different city. There I taught English as a Second Language. The population I served were adult students ready to enter University of Mobile’s Latin American Campus in San Marcos, Nicaragua.

That’s when I decided to pursue education as a career. After we moved to the US, I worked as an elementary Dual Language educator. I did this for many years. Currently, I am a Spanish teacher in the district where I was educated.

During my journey as an educator my lovely wife and I started a family nearly 25 years ago. My daughter was born in April of 1999. I knew that I had to be responsible and raise a child. Three years later I had to do the same with my son. I noticed that in fatherhood, there is no greater responsibility than the care of a child. I can honestly say that I would die for my children. Even if, now that they are adults, I feel the same way.

These experiences helped me to grow.