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Important Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
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Find out what happening in Sacramento that impacts education... | | |
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Dear Colleagues, Partners, and Friends,
We need 1-3 minutes of your time to support the creation of an implementation plan for the English Learner Roadmap through AB 2074 (Muratsuchi).
Before September 15th, please reach out to the Governor and ask him to sign AB 2074. You may contact the Governor’s office via phone at (916) 445-2841 or you can email him by visiting https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/ or by scanning the QR code to the left.)
Sample Message:
I urge you to support California’s English learners by signing AB 2074, which creates an implementation plan for the English Learner Roadmap. This important bill will create alignment and coherence across state initiatives reflecting the English Learner Roadmap policy and principles. As a support of California’s English learners, I thank you for your continued leadership and support and urge your signature on AB 2074.
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CABE Legislative Advocate Report
by Jennifer Baker
- More Details About Action Alert Above
- CABE Co-sponsored Bill Update
- Legislature Closes Shop
- Remaining Legislative Calendar
- Assembly Budget Committee Discusses Reserves
- Positive Cash Receipts Continue
- Appropriations Committee Suspense Files
- CABE Bill Update
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Upcoming professional learning opportunities.... | |
Reach your target audience with an ad in our annual magazine... | |
CABE is growing and hiring... | |
Meet Mary T. Hernández and Tiffany Adame Huante... | | |
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Born in Victoria, Texas, Mary is the youngest of five in a Mexican American family that has lived in Texas for at least five generations—surviving and thriving under all six flags of Texan history! Raised by her father, a bricklayer, and her mother, a nurse, Mary’s upbringing was steeped in the values of hard work and resilience. Growing up in a community where discrimination was rampant, her mother made a conscious decision to speak English at home, hoping to shield her children from the prejudice she had faced for speaking Spanish. Mary recalls her mother diligently giving English diction lessons to her, reflecting her determination to equip her children for a better future. | |
Mary nevertheless experienced discrimination firsthand, which fueled her desire to leave her hometown for college. She was often the only student of color in her honors classes, a reality that left her acutely aware of the systemic barriers that kept other talented students of color from similar opportunities. “That situation saddened me,” she reflects. She had to advocate for herself to be placed in more challenging classes, a battle that began in 7th grade when a math teacher recognized her potential and pushed for her to be transferred to a higher-level course. The discrimination extended beyond the classroom. She recalls a painful incident when a friend canceled a visit to her home because her friend’s parents, both public school teachers, didn’t want a “Mexican” in their house. Her high school boyfriend was similarly warned by his family that he would be disowned if he continued dating her. “We had to hide and could not be seen together in public,” she remembers. | |
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At 8 years old, Mary knew she wanted to be a lawyer. “I was acutely aware of the social justice issues around me,” she says. “I would say, ‘That’s not fair! I want to change things when I grow up!’ I wanted to be powerful in order to make a difference and create change.” Her mother encouraged public speaking, and when Mary was in elementary school, Mary recited a patriotic poem at a schoolwide assembly, leading to invitations to speak at other public events. “Education was at the top when I thought about social justice. I knew that access to education could uplift and be the equalizer,” she notes. | |
After looking through glossy brochures for out-of-state colleges she had never heard of, Mary applied to four universities and ultimately chose Harvard, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. Her “travel bug” led her to an internship with a Labour Member of Parliament in London, where she witnessed Margaret Thatcher in action. At 21, she became a writer for the Harvard Student Agency (“HSA”) and its budget travel guides, taking an assignment that took her backpacking through Mexico on $17 a day. Mary chose Stanford University for her law degree, motivated by a desire to explore the West Coast. During law school, she spent a semester in Sydney, interning for the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Labour Party. | |
Mary’s commitment to social justice propelled her into leadership roles, including being elected as the youngest President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and twice elected to the San Francisco School Board. Her work with SFUSD ignited her passion for bilingual education, leading her to the Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy (META) legal organization. During this time, she attended her first CABE conference—to get declarations from district administrators for the Reading First lawsuit that META was handling. In 2004, CABE hired her to help implement its first PIRC grant, which led to Project INSPIRE, CABE’s first parent engagement and leadership initiative. Today, she is a founding partner of García Hernández Sawney LLP and has served as CABE’s General Counsel for over a dozen years. | |
Mary loves traveling with her family: her husband, Michael, an architect specializing in educational facilities; her daughter, Maricarmen, a law school graduate currently working remotely from Japan; and her son, a multi-talented filmmaker, actor, musician, and improvisation artist. Both children attended dual language programs for a short time, and Maricarmen is fluent in Spanish and Korean, is learning Japanese, and speaks a little French and Arabic. Mary also enjoys spoiling her two dogs, Leeloo, a Labrador, and Benji, a Basenji, a rare breed that doesn't bark. She is also passionate about martial arts, with a black belt in judo/jujitsu, which she practiced from middle school to law school. Mary explains, "My martial arts colleagues were my support group throughout my university years." | |
Mary’s journey from a young Latina fighting against the odds to a successful lawyer, fierce advocate, and dedicated martial artist is a testament to her resilience and determination. As she continues to break barriers, she inspires countless others to pursue their dreams, embrace their heritage, and never back down in the face of injustice. | | |
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Tiffany Adame Huante, the second oldest of three children, was born in Lynwood, California, and later lived in Southgate, Lawndale, and Pomona. Her parents both immigrated from Michoacán, México. Her father worked in construction for a few years until he was involved in an accident during the Griffith Observatory renovation; after his injury, he became a draftsman and, just recently, a general contractor. During her father's recovery, her mother was a jewelry maker for Lori-Lori. She later became an at-home mom, supporting her children through their educational and extracurricular activities. After all her children graduated from high school, she obtained a cosmetology license. When Tiffany and her siblings were younger, they helped their mother create jewelry and supported their father by carpooling with him during long commutes to visit clients. | |
Spanish was the primary language spoken at home, following the “en la casa solo se habla español” ideology. At home, her immediate family embraced traditional Mexican culture. Her extended family, who had lived in the US for years, exposed Tiffany and her siblings to American culture. She remembers asking her cousins, "What's a grilled cheese? What's Halloween?" When she started Kindergarten as an English learner, she already knew some English from speaking with her cousins and siblings and watching TV. The program at her school was ESL Pullout, and she remembers feeling that she fell behind when she missed class, but tutoring in Math and English helped her catch up. Tiffany became a perfectionist as a child, which helped her in school and made her stand out to her teachers. She attended three different school districts: Lawndale USD, Pomona USD, and Claremont USD. Most of her classmates in elementary GATE classes were Hispanic, so she felt like she fit in. However, she was told they didn't have a GATE program in her middle school because most kids were already at a high academic level with honors, AP, and IB classes. She recalls, "One time, a white classmate called me stupid in our IB English class, but I didn't understand how she could believe that since I was excelling not only in honors but also in AP/IB courses." This questioning of her intelligence and inability to pay for her IB tests like the other students made her wonder if she belonged in those classes. | |
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Nevertheless, Tiffany continued to achieve, placing in an English competition with a social justice group project and an Honors History competition, which advanced her to the county-level competition. She participated in the AVID program and volunteered at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) and at a local program called ARTstART, where college mentors and high school volunteers provided art lessons and guided museum visits for elementary classes. Her parents always strived for their kids to have the best education possible. After high school, Tiffany was accepted to Whittier College and was on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in three years with a double major in Spanish and Anthropology. Switching instructional platforms from in-person to virtual instruction became challenging during the pandemic. Meanwhile, she served as a Spanish tutor and tutor coordinator at Whittier College, where she developed an online system for scheduling tutors. Her second job while an undergraduate was working as a tutor at TutorZone, where she first interacted with students enrolled in dual immersion programs and worked with K-12 students one-on-one in various subjects.
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A few months before the pandemic, she studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain, and had fun learning and sharing slang expressions in both languages with other students and Spanish exchange buddies. When her college transitioned from a semester to a quarter system and then back to a semester system, it disrupted her academic plans, and she took four years to graduate. She says, "My struggles created a sense of imposter syndrome within me as I wondered, 'Can I do this? Do I belong here?'" Fortunately, with the support of her family and friends, Tiffany was the proud co-president of MEChA for three years, and she graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and a double minor in Anthropology and Latino Studies. She was also a member of two honor societies: Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish) and Lambda Alpha (Anthropology and Sociology). | | |
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A pivotal moment in her journey happened when her Spanish professor/advisor, Dr. José Flores, introduced then-CABE CEO Jan Gustafson Corea as the keynote speaker at her graduation. They became Facebook friends, and he began learning about CABE. When he saw an open position in CABE's Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department, he recommended that she apply. Three months after graduating from Whittier College, Tiffany became the Administrative Assistant for CABE's FACE Department and later moved to the Professional Learning Services (PLS) Department. Working with the PLS team has inspired her to seek a master's program and consider becoming a dual language, math, and art teacher. She explains, "Working closely with people in the field I'm interested in and sitting in on parent and teacher sessions has helped me see the need that CABE is filling. I enjoy talking with conference attendees, and my department provides me with great models of teaching and instructional materials." | |
In her free time, Tiffany likes creating art, such as photography, ceramics, sketching, and painting, and she has recently been experimenting with woodburning designs. One of Tiffany’s paintings, “Almas viajeras,” will be featured in the 2025 50th anniversary edition of CABE’s Multilingual Educator magazine. She recently started hiking and now has a Disneyland Annual Pass, where she enjoys trying new snacks and collecting pins and plushies to share the joy with her niece. She currently lives with her sister, and her family gets together at least once a week. Her beloved pets now live with her parents: Simba, a Shih Tzu/Maltese mix; Benny, a tuxedo cat; Bowser, a small aquatic turtle found in her parents' yard; and two quails who are yet to be named. | |
What's happening in local chapters across the state.... | | |
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On May 4th CABE 65 hosted the 2024 CABE Scholarship Breakfast for High School students to celebrate their multilingualism and academic aspirations.
Each scholar received a $1,000 scholarship award, recognizing their hard work and commitment to academic excellence. These scholarships, generously provided by CABE Chapter 65 through fundraising events such as the CABE 65 Mini-Conference, aim to support the students as they continue their educational journeys and pursue their future goals.
The breakfast event was filled with inspiring speeches, proud moments, and a sense of community as educators, students, and their families came together to celebrate this significant milestone.
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CABE Chapter 65 remains dedicated to fostering educational opportunities for bilingual students and supporting their success in every possible way.
The breakfast event was filled with inspiring speeches, proud moments, and a sense of community as educators, students, and their families came together to celebrate this significant milestone.
CABE Chapter 65 remains dedicated to fostering educational opportunities for bilingual students and supporting their success in every possible way.
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Our annual CABE mini-Conference will be November 2nd 2024. This event is created to gather funds for our community high school multilingual students. There will be a virtual session available as well. More information coming next month! | |
Other items of interest to the CABE Community... | |
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PublicServiceDegrees.org has announced the release of a new resource aimed at supporting Hispanic and Latino students in their educational journeys. This guide provides valuable information on scholarships and financial aid specifically designed for these students.
Online Guide to Scholarships for Hispanic and Latino Students: https://www.publicservicedegrees.org/financial-aid/scholarships/hispanic-latino-students/ [publicservicedegrees.org]
This guide offers insights into a variety of scholarships available to Hispanic and Latino students, helping them overcome financial barriers to education. It includes application tips, eligibility criteria, and additional resources to support their academic and professional growth. This resource aims to empower students by providing the best opportunities to fund their education.
Sharing this resource can significantly help Hispanic and Latino students by providing them with the guidance and support they need to succeed.
For More Information, please contact:
Kyle Smith
Community Outreach Specialist
kyle@outreach.publicservicedegrees.org
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