Celebrating Diversity Together: HPS Hispanic/Latino/a/x Profiles

My mother and I moved to the United States (Hartford, CT) when I was three years old. We moved to the U.S. because my mother received a scholarship to obtain her Masters degree, with the hopes of creating a better life for us and our extended family under my mothers care. I attended Hartford Public […]

As the Student Engagement Specialist for Global Communications I wanted to do something fun to honor our students’ and families’ Hispanic heritage, so I decided to have the students decorate their classroom doors or a space outside their classroom. I chose to make a contest out of it to get the students excited. All grades […]

I started working for Hartford Public Schools this pass summer as the Compliance Monitor for the Multilingual Learners, World & Dual Language Programs. I love the work environment of our teams and I am so happy that my children found a great community at one of our district Magnet schools. We moved to Connecticut almost […]

My family is still in Puerto Rico but I have ventured to other countries like USA, Australia, and New Zealand and brought my culture and patriotism of where I come from with me always. My biological father is from Chile and I have been able to reconnect with family members, my Chilean culture and roots […]

Our family emigrated from Guatemala in September 1985 when I was 6 years old. I started attending Burns Elementary School and participated in their ELL programming for a year as started 1st grade. That same school year I was placed in a bilingual 2nd grade classroom, and at the end of the school year I […]

I was born in Lima, Peru. My family immigrated to Hartford, Connecticut in 1962 in pursuit of the “American Dream”. We were among the first South American immigrants in the city of Hartford. I was raised in the cities of Hartford/West Hartford where I established my “raices Latinas”. My parents worked two jobs, but recognized […]

Mami was from Cuba, and she came to the United States in 1962. Papi was from Puerto Rico, and he came in 1950s. They met at a party hosted by my Papi’s friends. The words, “Te quiero” was seldom mentioned in the Huertas household, however, the emotion lived in their gestures and actions. Mami and […]

My great-grandparents were born in Jamaica. My great-grandfather was one of many men who immigrated to Panama in the early 1900s to build the canal. My maternal grandmother, Ivy Brazilana Johnson was born in Panama and lived there as a child. She learned Spanish, which she brought back to Jamaica when my great-grandmother Nen left […]

My father came to the United States by way of New York from the Dominican Republic. My mother also, made her way to the United States by way of New York from the island of Puerto Rico. My parents met and married in the Bronx, New York. After spending a few years in Puerto Rico […]

I was born in the capital Santiago, Chile. My family is originally from “el campo” in Peña Flor. The Andies is home to me. The mountains and it’s beautiful terrain formed me. From simple and humble beginning in Chile, we made our way to Connecticut. The thing I love the most about Chile is it’s […]

I moved to the USA at age 17 by myself. I love my Brazilian 🇧🇷 roots. Brazil is so rich with good music, food and happy people. I like to share the Brazilian joy here in the USA.

My grandparents moved the US in the 1940s as part of the massive incentive for Puerto Ricans to immigrate which took place around that time. My grandfather was a decorated US army veteran who served in WWII as a fighter pilot and had many odd jobs thereafter. My grandmother was a seamstress, a common job […]

My mother was one of eleven children born in the beautiful island of PR. When she came to the mainland as a young girl she didn’t know any English. She worked very hard to learn the language and the American culture despite the many challenges she faced. Today, she is fully bilingual and biliterate in […]

  September 15, 2021 Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month Dear Families, Colleagues, Partners, and Friends, National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 and runs through October 15. At Hartford Public Schools, we look forward to spending this month highlighting and celebrating the history, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino/a/x people to our country.  […]

Daisy Torres is the Director of English Learner Services, World & Dual Language Programs: My maternal grandparents raised their children in Aguada, PR and my paternal grandparents raised their children between the Bronx, NY, Meriden, CT and Humacao, PR. My mother came to the mainland as a young child with no understanding of the English […]

Eveliz Valentin is a School Social Worker at Parkville Community School: Both my parents and myself were born in Puerto Rico. My father served our country both in the United States Army and Navy. My mother moved to the United States soon after her marriage to my father. Mami spoke no English yet she managed, […]

Wanda Negron is a Child Development Associate at Dwight Bellizzi Dual Language Academy: Our family came to the United States in the year of 1978, which happened to be the year of a big snow storm. Life on the other side of the island was different but we were resilient and adapted quickly. I remember […]

My name is Aidé Ibarrondo Snyder. I was born in Hartford Connecticut. I attended the Hartford school system and graduated from Hartford Public High School. I came back to Hartford after graduating from CCSU to teach Spanish at Sport and Medical Sciences Academy. What can I say about my mother, she came to the U.S. […]

My name is Sofía Cortez-Gómez and I am from Bucaramanga, Colombia. My husband is from Barranquilla, Colombia, also known as the golden gate of Colombia, due to its location in the Caribbean Region. I became a lawyer in Colombia and practiced the profession as a litigant in the civil and family field before coming to […]

I grew up of mixed race (African American/Puerto Rican) , my Grandparents on my mother’s side immigrated to New York from Puerto Rico. My Grandfather was a chef, so food was a huge part of my family’s heritage and culture. My family lived in the heart of Spanish Harlem in NYC and some of my […]

My father was born on the Caribbean Island of the Dominican Republic. He entered the United States through New York and joined the United States Army. My mother was born in Calle, Puerto Rico and also entered the United States through New York. My parents met and married in New York and then moved to […]

My mother was born in Queens, NYC. She was the daughter of Efrain Marrero and Carmen Navarro. Feeling homesick, the family moved back to Bayamon, Puerto Rico when my mom was in middle school. From there she went back to NYC and PR one more time before the family finally settled by PR by the […]

My name is Nikeisha Vazquez and I consider myself an Afro-Latina! My mother, Vangie, migrated to Hartford, CT. from San Juan Puerto Rico in 1989 while expecting me. She arrived in Hartford not knowing any English, yet was able to find work and thrive in a place she didn’t know with hardships she didn’t know […]

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, I come from a really big family where all the women for the most part have been educators. I come from The Serrano family from the town Gurabo, and if you are from that town at some point one my aunts had been your teacher; or my grandmother cooked and […]