Hola, viajeros (Hello, travelers)!
I’m Daniela, but you can call me Dani. My family and I are originally from a small town in Colombia called Yarumal. It gets its name from the Yarumo trees, which are abundant and tall. You can spot them easily among other trees since their leaves often turn white, making them stand out from a distance. When I was about seven years old, my family and I moved to New York, where instead of Yarumo trees, the tallest things in the sky were buildings, bridges and the occasional helicopters flying around. I quickly fell in love with the fresh breeze on Coney Island and the squirrel races in Prospect Park, but what I loved the most was all the friends I was able to make from all over the world. I learned that there were more than just the two languages I knew, and there were kids who, just like me, were experiencing a whole new world!
My experience as an immigrant in the US sparked my interest in the diversity of cultures and languages that exist in our world. This is why, when I went off to college, I decided I wanted to work with students who were also experiencing a new world for the first time, students who were learning about new cultures, languages and perspectives.
