Deisy Linares-Torres ’17

Deisy Linares-Torres came to the United States 13 years ago from El Salvador as a teenager. Despite having to learn English later in her life, she graduated from UCLA with a degree in anthropology and Chicana/o Studies in the spring of 2017.

Currently, Linares-Torres works as a Resource Program Teacher at Animo Ellen Ochoa Charter Middle School in East Los Angeles, supporting sixth grade students with special needs in Academic Success and English Language Development classes. Some of her students need extra support finishing general coursework, while others who perform below their grade level focus on developing their speech, writing and reading skills.

Linares-Torres didn’t become a teacher on a whim. She was inspired to apply the skills she learned at UCLA to support struggling students because of her own experiences as a student new to the country. She remembers the teachers who encouraged her to learn English, going the extra mile by tutoring her before school and during lunch. As they saw her progress, they would give her more challenging books to read. Because Linares-Torres’ parents didn’t know the language, this support from her teachers was crucial. It was through this encouragement that she was able to become proficient in English. Now she hopes to give this same gift to her students, who struggle with similar challenges.

As a UCLA student, Deisy Linares-Torres became a tutor with Project SPELL, a program that helps employees improve their English. She joined because helping adults learn English was something very close to her heart. A program like Project SPELL could have helped her parents, who had to stop going to school on weekends because of work.  She wanted to give back to people like her parents.

She immediately noticed the learners were very appreciative. She recalled how a groundskeeper she tutored wrote a short sentence about how much she liked helping people. It was a small but meaningful interaction for a learner just beginning to grasp survival English.

Another learner she worked with named Josué showed determination in everything he did. She said, “I was able to see that determination as we worked together with pronunciation and reading. He was fearful of others hearing him speak English, but he never gave up despite his fear. By the end of our time together, he was speaking English with so much confidence. Josué taught me that to learn something you should never give in to your fears."

The most important lesson Linares-Torres learned, both through Project SPELL and her own experiences, was that even the most resilient students can use some extra encouragement. As she continues to grow in her career and face new challenges, she keeps in mind one of her favorite quotes from author and feminist Audre Lorde: “When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”