Alicia Bolt, a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with specialization in Bilingual Studies candidate for spring Commencement

Born and raised in a family of teachers and school administrators, I was enjoying my teaching profession as a high school teacher in Matamoros. After immigrating from Mexico to the United States as an “immigrant teacher” myself, I noticed immigrant students on the U.S.-Mexico border were being challenged not only by having to acquire a second language at the same time they were acquiring new content but also coping with the new school setting and leaving in a first world country.

As a new teacher of immigrant students at an elementary school in a small border town, I felt I needed to acquire more skills to be able to prepare students for the high standards the state of Texas had for them.

That is exactly when I felt the need to go to graduate school. I felt that I really needed to help immigrant students, even though I was an immigrant myself.

As I went through a master’s program in education, I left the classroom to become a school administrator. The challenges became different and more demanding. Now I was not only impacting my students, but also teachers of many students. Challenges that used to be at a classroom level now were part of a broader spectrum of school administration.

Fortunately, UTB/TSC was offering the Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Bilingual Education. With the support of my family, co-workers and teachers, as well as dedicated professors that were always there for me as I confronted academic writing challenges, I was able to move forward into the program and continue with the passion that had always moved my heart: recent immigrant students that are English language learners.

I know I will always be a committed lifelong learner who feels in debt with the community for the many things that have been given to me.