Writing a great chapter in your book of life requires you to take chances. If you can, buy that car, build that house, apply for that job, or say hi to that person.
It can also mean taking a chance and moving your life somewhere new. Although scary, it adds to another chapter to your life, another great story that can be told.
Risks lead to experiences, which lead to great stories.
Mrs. Brenda Castellanos, the PEIMS Clerk at Salinas Elementary, has a great story.
It started in her home country of Honduras. After finishing the equivalent of high school, she went straight to their higher education equivalent, where she worked to get her degree to be a teacher.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” Castellanos said. “Even when I was young, I would tell my mom, ‘I want to be a teacher,” and she would tell me, ‘that’s a big job.’”
She taught all subjects in a private school. That’s also where she met her husband, Oscar, who was an architect.
Then, she got pregnant, which slowed down her academic process.
“I would work all day, go to pick up my son, and then go to school,” Castellanos said. “I love working with kids. I love education - that’s why I wanted to be a teacher. So, I made sure it happened.”
With the help of her sister and her tenacity, she ended up finishing, earning her degree.
Eight years into her teaching career, Castellanos and her husband sat down and had a big conversation.
“My husband is a U.S. Citizen but grew up in Honduras,” Castellanos said. “My mother-in-law, who still lives in the United States, always asked us when we were moving to America. Because of how things changed in Honduras and wanting a better life and education for my son, we decided to move.”
Castellanos and her family packed their belongings in three large suitcases and decided to make the move to Louisiana where her husband’s family is from, taking a big risk, but beginning the next chapter in her book of life.
“We left everything over there. We left our jobs and our families,” Castellanos said. “Things were getting dangerous, so I said, ‘I think we can live in the United States and maybe make it work.’”
She struggled at first because she didn’t know English, working at Bridge Paint Company and selling food, trying to make things work. But they had to pivot again, wanting a better education for their son.
They moved to San Antonio, Texas, where her son began going to school in 野花社区视频 ISD, and she joined the 野花社区视频 ISD Family as a custodian at Masters Elementary.
“Having the opportunity to move to Texas meant a better education because the schools here are better,” Castellanos said. “He's going to learn English because everybody's going to speak English in school, and we're going to keep Spanish at home.”
She had hopes of returning to the classroom in some fashion, so she started asking questions. She went to Region 20 to get her paraprofessional certificate and began working as a pre-k aide. This is where she would learn English - while the teacher was teaching the students, they were also teaching Castellanos.
“I had a lovely teacher in my pre-K classroom. I loved her. It's like - when we met, we clicked,” Castellanos said “Some people, you have that click, and we were pretty good.”
Having already moved countries and now states, leaving their jobs and their families, and pushing through cultural barriers, Castellanos still had something else she wanted to achieve - becoming a US Citizen.
Now the PEIMS Clerk at Salinas Elementary, she would play citizenship quiz questions on YouTube in the background while completing registration for students.
“I'm a faster learner - thank God,” Castellanos said. “So, while I was learning the PEIMS position, I was also learning everything I needed to know to pass the citizenship test.”
And on April 29, Castellanos officially called herself an American citizen.
The staff at Salinas decorated her door and made sure she knew how monumental it was that she moved cities, states, and countries to achieve this goal.
At the end of the day, she says it’s all for her son, Diego, who is a student at 野花社区视频 High School.
“He knows his story - our story,” Castellanos said. “I want him to know the value, what he has, and know how long it took to get us here. I want him to appreciate the little things.”
Having picked up her life - working as a teacher in her home country, to move to a country she knows nothing about, including the culture and language, starting as a custodian and now the PEIMS clerk, it shows grit.
But towards the end of the interview, we discussed a new goal she has now.
“Maybe one day, I will be a teacher in America,” Castellanos said.
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