Meet Cynthia Ortiz Oliveras, Spanish teacher at Barack Obama Elementary School with 29 years in education.

Q. What is your heritage and what country (or countries) is your family from?
A. I am Puerto Rican, and my heritage is Indigenous, African and Spanish. My family comes from Puerto Rico.

Q. What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you personally, and why is it important to celebrate it in the PGCPS community?
A. It means feeling proud of my culture and my race. It is important to celebrate this festivity to publicize famous people who have excelled in sports, literature, science, arts, music, dance, mathematics, space issues, religion, gastronomy, etc. In addition, the vast majority of our community does not recognize the value of Hispanics in the history of the world and in this way we enrich the curriculum by sharing this information. We give students the opportunity to know the history of other countries that are a part of this wonderful planet.

Q. How has your cultural background and heritage shaped your perspective as a leader in education?
A. It has helped me to be proud of my heritage and my country. It has helped me try to be that educator who wants every student to know about our contributions to the world, about our culture, and about our pride. I like that they know that Latinos are a part of their community and we enrich theirs.

Q. What advice do you have for those interested in pursuing a career in education, especially those from Latino backgrounds?
A. Follow your dreams, with perseverance and a good attitude that you can achieve everything in this life. Teachers have the key to make our culture and contributions to the world known. In addition, we can make them interested in our history and our language.

Q. Can you recommend a book, movie, podcast or other resource that students, parents and educators can explore to learn more about Hispanic heritage and its significance in our society?
A. On google doodle there are a variety of videos about recognized Hispanics and Hispanic heritage. In addition, there are videos from Nickelodeon, Disney, Sesame Street, etc. that explain aspects of Hispanic Heritage and its influence in the world.