Glenda

"My mom left all three of us children with her sister when she decided to come from Honduras to the United States in search of a good job. That was in 1994. When she sent for us six years later, I was already 14 years old. We had missed all that time with her, so we didn't feel like we knew her anymore and she didn't really know us. Plus, by then she had a new family with four little kids, so things didn't work out well for the three of us older ones to live with her. She had never raised teenagers before and didn't know how to deal with two sets of kids, so I moved in with an American family. For a long time, my mom and I barely spoke to each other, but things are better now. My aunt eventually moved to the States too. I'm actually closer to her because I was with her longer. I feel like I have two moms.

"I think living with the American family is how my English improved so rapidly. I'm glad I can speak two languages because I can help people who don't know much English, especially those in the older generation. My 4-year-old and my 9-year-old are both bilingual too. I teach them, 'You speak English to people who speak English and Spanish to people who speak Spanish.' I don't want them to lose that. I want them to be able to talk to their grandparents."

Glenda is a student at DeNeuville Learning Center, 190 S. Cooper.  DeNeuville's stated mission is to "empower women to improve their lives through education and community."  Glenda is currently working on her GED. Eventually, she would like to work with people who have asthma (since her own children have asthma). She's also interested in learning how to prepare taxes.

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