Learning my language and connecting with my culture
By Olivia B. (she/her)
Thurgood Marshall, ‘24
Four years after I first wrote my essay for The Learning Curve Anthology, Ms. Sehba Sarwar dropped the published copy off on my porch. When I picked up the book and read my essay, I was instantly transported back to the time when I wrote it. It was during the tail end of the PUSD Student Think Tank summer internship, when after a full summer dedicated to the creation of PUSD’s Student Assembly/Council, I wrote this essay reflecting on my gratitude for my elementary school San Rafael. I was also given the incredible opportunity to read my essay at Octavia’s Bookshelf, a local business. Surrounded by fellow Think-Tankers and community members, I was so proud to finally have a physical manifestation of all the hard work of PUSD’s Student Think Tank, and to read from the publication that’s a voice for students across PUSD high schools.
In 1968, 15,000 Mexican American students from various East Los Angeles high schools participated in a walk out in protest of the unfair treatment of Latino students in schools, forming the Educational Issues Coordinating Committee (EICC). These Latino students experienced a 60% dropout rate, counselors discouraged them from pursuing post secondary education, and they were banned from speaking Spanish in schools.
Almost forty years later, in 2009, San Rafael Elementary began its first year of Spanish dual language immersion classes. By the time that I entered kindergarten in 2011, the program was already well underway. During my time there, I received an amazing education, having teachers who helped me grow by understanding my strengths as well as my limitations. Maestra Priscilla Leon taught me the value of discipline and hard work as well as the preterite forms of aprender and pensar, and Maestra Nancy Mena led by example with lessons of kindness as well as long division. At San Rafael, I nourished my creative talents as I participated in art classes with Angie Donato-Arzili, explored my love for theater during the spring musicals led by Nickella Schlanger, and enjoyed the musical performances of José-Luis Orozco.
Aside from the creative and academic lessons, the most amazing opportunity that San Rafael offered to me there as a young Latina was the chance to learn about my own language and culture. We were educated on many influential Latino figures like Dolores Huerta and Sonia Sotomayor, and expanded our knowledge of Latino American history. Together we learned about Latin American holidays, like día de los muertos, where we cut our own papel picado, decorated calaveras de azúcar, and made ofrendas for our lost loved ones. My world grew as we explored the whole of Latin America without ever leaving the classroom, and so did my pride for my culture. Best of all, we were exposed to strong Latino role models: our teachers and staff.
The Spanish language skills that I developed at San Rafael Elementary have helped me ace the AP Spanish exam, passing with a score of 5, so I could earn my seal of biliteracy at my graduation. These same Spanish skills have also helped fit right in when I visit family in Mexico, allowing me to fluently converse with family, read signs and billboards, and navigate stores and cities. The social and moral values that were instilled in me as a San Rafael Panda led me to join the PUSD Student Think Tank on a quest to raise student voices and create equity across the district. Today, as a rising senior at Thurgood Marshall, I am filled with gratitude for the education, connections, and opportunities that I received during my time at San Rafael Elementary School, setting me up for success, and shaping my identity today.
In recent years, San Rafael has garnered many accolades. Becoming a California Distinguished School in 2014, receiving California Title Academic Achievement Award and becoming a SRES California Gold Ribbon School in 2016. But what makes me most proud of San Rafael is the way it exemplifies the positive changes that have been made since the East Los Angeles Walkouts of 1968. Having a safe learning environment that has given me an excellent education in the Spanish language and culture has been such a privilege, especially knowing that generations of Latinos before me fought for the right to have their culture embraced in schools. San Rafael is a special place, and what sets it apart from other schools is the level of care that every teacher has for their fellow staff and students. Years after I’ve graduated from San Rafael, I’ve seen many of my former teachers, and all of them have remembered my name and greeted me with a smile.
Olivia B. participated in the PUSD student think tank from 2022-2024, with most of her work being in the creation of the student board member framework. She graduated from Thurgood Marshall High School in 2024 and went on to attend and graduate from Pasadena City College in 2026. In fall 2026, she transferred to Bowdoin College, Maine, where she will be studying Government and Legal Studies.
