Cultural Educator of the Year
Viviana Garcia - Calif. Cultural Educator of the Year

“Integrating culture into my daily teaching is a vital part of my routine as a VIF teacher. I understand how important it is to have students have a broader view of the world. Having a leadership role at school has helped me reach and impact the school community, so we all learn about diversity and become globally minded.”

Viviana Garcia Espinosa • Colombia Viviana is from Colombia.
California Cultural Educator of the Year

Resource teacher and English Learner Program coordinator
Washington Elementary ▪ San José Unified School District, California

Viviana Garcia has used her role as the school’s English Learning Program coordinator to support English language learners and to make the entire school community more aware of this group’s cultural diversity. She posted a world map in the cafeteria, with stickers for students and staff to locate where they were born. She created a game to match photos of the school’s international teachers with their home countries. In addition, Garcia has become a leader in working with Latino parents to help them become more involved in their children’s education. She prepares cultural activities like potlucks and games for parent meeting and shares her Columbian heritage with this group. She also heads the English Learner Advisory Committee, which involves parents in school programs for English language learners.

In her role as a reading teacher for students who have recently immigrated to the United States, Viviana Garcia has found literature to be a resourceful way to give her students a broader view of the world. For instance, she had her students read a story about a child who comes to the United States and then make a presentation about their own heritage.

Principal Maria Arias Evans, Washington Elementary School:

“Viviana Garcia exemplifies the very best of professionalism, drive and care for our school community. She makes it a point to bring a multicultural flavor to her work with teachers, students and parents. With dynamic teachers and leaders like Vivian Garcia, I cannot sing the praises of the VIF Program enough.”