Modern discourse inspired CWU grad to pursue a career in bilingual education

Before Litzy Cruz moved to Washington when she was 12, she had never considered attending college, let alone becoming an educator for bilingual kids like herself. That all changed when she met her new teachers in her hometown of Puyallup, who pointed her toward Central Washington University.

"I had a lot of my favorite teachers tell me they went to Central," said Cruz, who graduated from CWU with her teaching degree this spring. "There were two in particular that completely changed my life and inspired me to become a teacher, and they told me that CWU had an incredible teacher education program, so I applied to follow in their footsteps."

Cruz completed a Running Start program through Emerald Ridge High School and enrolled at CWU in 2018 as an English/language arts teaching major, with a minor in bilingual education. During the pandemic shutdown, she took the opportunity to study abroad in Honduras virtually, which proved to be a turning point in how Cruz viewed her future career.

"Before that, I was very set on secondary education," she said. "Through that class, I was able to work with first-graders, and it just completely changed my view. Being able to help them practice their English felt really good, and it really helped me find my passion for bilingual education."

Once classes returned to classrooms, Cruz was fascinated by the material, and finished her student teaching in Puyallup in March. During this intensive, hands-on experience, she was able to employ a lesson plan she had put together the previous year, utilizing the ongoing discourse about "cancel culture." This approach encouraged her Puyallup Junior High School students to write argumentatively about a subject they held deep-seated opinions on.

"What was really exciting for me was that, at the end of fall quarter, I put together this long unit lesson plan on cancel culture," Cruz said in reference to the term that describes shunning those in society who have acted or spoken inappropriately. "I got to use it in my classroom as a student teacher, and seeing the students write about and engage with such a relevant issue was incredible."

This fall, Cruz will begin her career as a dual-language third-grade teacher in Puyallup, thanks in part to recognition she received from her coworkers during her student teaching practicum. She plans to spend a few years teaching in her home district before taking her education abroad again, with a goal of sharing her unique perspective as a bilingual learner to help students around the world grasp English as a second language.

Cruz says her time at CWU, and with the teachers from her childhood who inspired her to begin her educational journey in the first place, continue to inform her relational, inclusion-focused approach to education.

"Having that feeling of safety and approachability in your classroom is really important," she said. "Letting the students know that you're on their side makes a world of difference in their ability to learn."