Cultural Connections Lab

Samuel Aguirre is the Senior Director of the Consortium and State Relations Department at WIDA. His team engages and supports WIDA Consortium member states to ensure successful implementation of all WIDA products and services. The Consortium and States Relations team also engages and facilitates state expertise within WIDA to deliver high quality products and services for multilingual learners and their educators. Sam’s life experiences as an immigrant and language learner in the U.S., work as a classroom educator, advocate working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and director of multilingual student services at a state education agency provide a strong foundation for his role at WIDA. Sam joined WIDA in fall of 2019 as director of WIDA Español and transitioned to his current role in August 2024. Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Bicultural Elementary Education from Northeastern Illinois University and a masters in Second Language Studies with a concentration in Engaged Language Policy and Practice from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Sam is currently completing a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Bilingual Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.E-mail: saaguirre@wisc.edu LinkedIn WIDA Webinars

David Rogers supports the work of Dual Language Education of New Mexico-DLeNM whose mission is to promote the effective design and implementation of dual language education in New Mexico, and beyond. In his thirty-five years as an educator, David has served as an education volunteer and program coordinator in Peace Corps Paraguay, South America, a bilingual special education teacher in South Bronx, NY, and as a dual language classroom teacher, bilingual program coordinator, and school principal in the South Valley of Albuquerque. In 1996 David and his colleagues helped to organize the first La Cosecha Dual Language Conference, which was hosted by DLeNM, where David served from 1999 until 2022 as its first Executive Director. David is an advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and has provided leadership support for advocacy groups like Transform Education New Mexico and NM Hispanic Education Advisory Council, and NCEL. David is husband to dual language educator Rosie González-Rogers, and together they have four bilingual/multicultural daughters and call Albuquerque, New Mexico their home.www.dlenm.orghttps://www.lacosechaconference.org/

Okhee Lee is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. She is committed to advancing research, policy, and practice that promote STEM and language learning for all students, particularly multilingual learners. Lee was a member of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) writing team and served as leader for the NGSS Diversity and Equity Team. She also was a member of the Steering Committee for the Understanding Language Initiative at Stanford University. Her work involves integrating science, language, and computational thinking with a focus on multilingual learners. Her latest work addresses justice-centered STEM education with multilingual learners by integrating multiple STEM subjects, including data science and computer science, to address societal challenges using the case of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the early 1990s, her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation.Lee brings research and policy to practice. Her team developed a yearlong fifth-grade science curriculum called Science And Integrated Language, or SAIL, that translates contemporary science standards into classroom practice with multilingual learners. The curriculum is in a field trial at New York City Public Schools with funding from the National Science Foundation. Using the SAIL curriculum, Lee’s team published teacher resources in collaboration with the New York State Education Department. In addition, her team published teacher resources in collaboration with the National Science Teaching Association and made them available across the country and internationally.Lee provides leadership for major organizations and institutions across multiple fields, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Educational Research Association, Center for Applied Linguistics, National Academy of Education, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, National Science Foundation, New York State Boards of Cooperative Education Services, New York State Education Department, and New York City Department of Education.For more information, please visit:https://www.nyusail.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okhee_Lee https://wikitia.com/wiki/Okhee_Leehttps://www.okheelee.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmptRBGO6G6yl4Ph0n7Pr_w/featuredhttps://steinhardt.nyu.edu/people/okhee-lee Latest Article: Transforming STEM by Focusing on Justice

Montserrat Garibay is the Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education. More recently, she was the Senior Advisor for Labor Relations at the Office of the Secretary. She was the secretary-treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO. Previously, she served as vice president for Certified Employees with Education Austin, a merged union local with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, and the American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial Organizations. An activist on education and immigration issues, Garibay came to the U.S. from Mexico City as an undocumented immigrant and became a citizen 20 years later. She has been instrumental in promoting opportunities for all students, including those from immigrant families. She promoted passage of the Texas version of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. A bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher for eight years and National Board-Certified Teacher, she is a graduate of the National Labor Leadership Initiative with the Worker Institute at Cornell University. Garibay is a University of Texas -Austin graduate with a master’s degree in Education.

Heather Graham is currently the Multilingual Coordinator for Bethany Public Schools in Oklahoma. She has previously worked as a School Counselor, and recently was presented the opportunity to transition into the Multilingual world. Her Multilingual Program is small but rapidly growing. She has enjoyed learning about her students, teachers, and families and hopes to continue to bring awareness and inclusion to the students with whom she works.

Akash Patel, originally from India, began his teaching career in very small rural communities in Oklahoma where people had never seen or met “a brown Indian guy who spoke five languages and had traveled to over 50 countries. He used his travel experiences to design all of his lessons. For example, he used his experiences of working with elephants in South Asia to teach children to make elephant poopoopaper and map elephant DNA to study poaching patterns. He currently teaches ESL with Oklahoma City Community College and serves as Epic Charter Schools’ Math+ Instructor and ELL Liaison. Patel previously taught Spanish with the Dallas Independent School District and fourth grade at Hayes elementary school in Oklahoma City. In both schools, his students have come from very difficult backgrounds and have included gang members, drug addicts and juvenile delinquents. The majority of his students at both schools had never traveled outside the US.Patels has received many recognitions and awards including 2015 Oklahoma State Department of Education and Multicultural Institute Multicultural Teacher of the Year, and In December 2017, Patel was selected from over 30,000 nominations as one of the top 50 teachers around the world and shortlisted as a finalist for the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize. In January 2021, Patel was inducted in the International Literacy Association’s 30 Under 30 List. In January 2022, Patel was elected as the first-ever immigrant President of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In June 2022, Patel was elected Vice-Chairman of the National Council of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Patel was also featured as a 2022 TIME Magazine Innovative Educator of the Year…the list goes on.Akash also connects classrooms with people and professionals worldwide using virtual platforms in what I would call a modern day pen pal program. Patel has mobilized over 1,000 volunteers from over 150 countries to join his Global Connect database at the Happy World Foundation, a Texas based global education nonprofit he founded after the passing of his twin brother Anand Happy Patel.Patel frequently speaks at regional, national and international conferences about his classroom experience. He has also trained over 100,000 teachers to use the Global Connect database and other multicultural programs. Today, thousands of American children travel to countries worldwide through Happy World Foundation’s global education programs. To Learn more, visit happyworldfoundation.us.

Sunny Day, Miss Oklahoma 2023, is a first-generation high school and college graduate. She graduated from Norman Public Schools in 2013 and went on to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Communications at The University of Oklahoma in 2018. She has been a public-school teacher at Bridgestone Intermediate in Western Heights Public Schools since 2018. Sunny has had many roles in her school, she has taught 6th grade, served as an ESL teacher, and a 5th grade ELA and Social Studies teacher. Some of her proudest moments in her teaching career are being named Next Gen 30 Under 30 in Education (2020) and Teacher of the Year (2021). She calls her school a second home, which is why she has decided to continue to teach during her reign as Miss Oklahoma.Sunny has a personal connection to volunteerism. As a little girl, she and her family were often taken care of by churches, schools, and the generous people within her community. As she got older, she decided she wanted to give back in the same way. She has invested over 5,000 hours in her community service endeavors. Two of her favorite organizations she has been a part of are OKC Teem and the Tim Tebow Foundation. Aside from her service work, she has done a lot within the walls of her own school. Planting a school garden, starting her school’s first cheer team, and establishing a recycling club are some of her many leadership roles in her school.Over time, she created her own character development school program called Ready S.E.T. Go: Building Skills Today for Tomorrow’s Success. Her community service initiative is a mission that provides a path to gain life-skills, mentorship, scholarships, and the dream life for youth of all ages and upbringings, by helping them navigate school, the workforce, and life experiences. Through an interactive, three-pillared approach (Support. Encourage. Teach.), Ready S.E.T. GO empowers youth to embrace our mission; to provide our youth with the skills to be their most successful, confident, and empowered selves, no matter their life circumstances.Sunny began her unique journey in the Miss Oklahoma Organization in 2020. She held her local title for two years and went on to compete at Miss Oklahoma 2021 where she placed 4th Runner-Up. She was also awarded multiple community service awards, interview awards, and Overall Rookie. After the 2021 competition, Sunny’s journey in the Miss Oklahoma Organization came to an end due to aging out, until Miss America announced their age increase in 2023. Sunny earned the title of Miss Norman and went on to compete at Miss Oklahoma 2023. She walked away as Miss Oklahoma 2023. Sunny has won over $70,000 from the Miss Oklahoma Organization and is now debt-free and on her way to obtain her Masters in Education.Sunny has big plans to travel the state as Miss Oklahoma and make Oklahoma her classroom by going into schools across the state and implementing her school program. As a big sister and educator, she is looking forward to educating and empowering today’s youth. Aside from connecting with students, she is eager to speak with legislators about education reform, bring in new sponsors and partnerships to the Miss Oklahoma Organization, and build an empowerment workshop program for the future women of this organization.Sunny is the daughter of Jamie Day and Samuel Day, the big sister the Kali Day (25), Maron Day (18), Harley Day (16), and Jordyn Day (12), and a proud dog mom to her boxer Arie.Follow Sunny on Social Media! @missamericaok @sunnymday

Dr. Stephen Krashen completed his Ph.D. in Linguistics at UCLA (1972), and is currently an Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Southern California.Dr. Krashen is the author of more than 525 articles and books in the fields of bilingual education, neurolinguistics, second language acquisition and literacy.He has received numerous awards including the Mildenberger Award (1982), given for his book, Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning (Prentice-Hall), the Pimsleur Award, given by the American Council of Foreign Language Teachers for the best published article in 1985, the Dorothy C. McKenzie Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Children’s Literature (Children’s Literature Council of Southern California), a Doctorate of Humane Letters awarded by Lewis and Clark College, Portland (2011), and the “Kenneth S. Goodman In Defense of Good Teaching” Award, by the College of Education, University of Arizona, 2019.https://www.sdkrashen.com/ - for past articles & books

Daniela Perieda is passionate about bilingualism and education reform. She is the author of “Become a Bilingual Family – The Best Method For Raising Bilingual Children, Even If You Only Speak One Language” and is the Past President of the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education. She holds a Family Life Education – Child Development degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, OK.Daniela helps parents create meaningful relationships with their children while learning Spanish. She believes teachers and families play an important role in the development of the WHOLE child. For this reason, her goal is to create a community of bilingual families.Bilingual Family began as Daniela’s dream. With the love, support and encouragement of Jon, her husband, it became a reality in 2013. As they started their own family, the meaning of Bilingual Family evolved. They are committed not only to raising bilingual children, but are also committed to creating a program that they would feel fortunate to send their children to. A program where children are respected as individuals and their unique gifts and skills are fostered. A program that will become a model for education reform. A program where families feel supported and connected.Bilingual Family, found at bilingualfamily.us, is dedicated to fostering bilingualism and a love for learning in an environment that values the family as the primary teacher. With a commitment to full Spanish immersion and a mixed-age model, Bilingual Family school promotes a collaborative, growth-focused atmosphere that reflects the core belief that the family is instrumental in shaping a child’s educational experience.All of Daniela’s past, present and future endeavors are rooted in the belief that "second language acquisition is all about RELATIONSHIPS"

Ronald Mauricio Sandoval was born in San Luis, Jilotepeque Guatemala. He grew up in Guatemala and El Salvador during its Civil War. After high school, he served a 25 month mission in the mountainous region of Momostenango Guatemala where he learned to speak Quiché. After his mission, He completed his undergraduate work in education at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. Early in his career in Guatemala he was a retail salesman and manager. He moved to the United States in 1997 where his first job was washing the machine that made bread at a little convenience shop in the O'hare Airport. A diligent study of English, hard work and the right people in his path led him from that job to being a truck driver, an ELL teacher, assistant principal, principal and director of language programs in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma. He currently continues to have the opportunity to serve as a trainer, speaker and presenter at the national level in the area of ​​bilingual education and especially in the development of dual language education programs. He also had the opportunity to work as the founding principle of a Bilingual School in Kuwait. He earned his masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. He also attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison to complete his Wisconsin school principal & leadership licensing. Through his connections with the University of Wisconsin, the Department of Public Instruction, and network throughout the nation he was a part of the WI Seal of Biliteracy work group that would lead to Wisconsin’s adoption of the Seal of Biliteracy. At the state level in Oklahoma, he was influential in broadening the Oklahoma State Board of Education’s scope for international educator hiring For over 20 years, Mr. Sandoval has empowered adults and children, particularly English Learners, by helping them acquire English and develop professional skills, and/or learn content through language acquisition programs and services. His data-based design of Dual Language programs has helped English Learners acquire English at faster rates than the US national average, promoted cultural unity, and closed achievement gaps. Furthermore, English proficient students, as well as English learners, have had the opportunity of becoming fully bilingual and bi-literate through instruction in English and Spanish. He currently works for the Western Heights School District where he is building the new Dual Language Program. When he is not helping students become bilingual, bicultural and biliterate, he can be seen riding bikes with his family, serving in his church, reading, streaming movies, resurrecting houseplants or working in his bonsai trees.

Paul Parkerson grew up in Spain and is fluent in both Spanish and English. He's a K-5 bilingual/ESL interventionist in Denton ISD who has worked with elementary multilingual students in Texas for 20 years in various language programs. He received his Ph.D. in Reading from the Department of Literacy and Learning at Texas Woman's University in Denton, TX, where he has also worked as a research assistant and teaches as an adjunct professor. He received his Master of Education in K-12 English for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Second Language Education from Jones International University. His research has focused on the intersections between teachers and students, focusing on socioculturally sustaining pedagogies in education, with an emphasis on a critical approach.

Andrea Bitner is a passionate educator, author, and professional development provider that has worked with students in grades K-12 through her twenty-three years in public education from all around the world.Her first book, “Take Me Home” addresses the journeys of some amazing young multilingual students who exhibit the fuel and grit to navigate and embrace the American dream.She is also a co-author of Chip Baker’s “The Impact of Influence-Volume 3,” and “100 No-Nonsense Things ALL School Leaders Should Stop Doing.”To learn more about Andrea's work check out this 6ABC Philadelphia News article.You can find Andrea at www.andreabitnerbooks.com or on social media:FacebookInstagramX (Twitter)