Centering the Brilliance of (Im)migrant Children Webinar

Hosted on December 3, 2024, Centering the Brilliance of (Im)migrant Children featured an engaging conversation between Drs. Olimpia Bahena (Chicago Public Schools) and Melissa Adams Corral (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) as they shared critical insights about issues of immigration and their interconnections with racial justice in early mathematics education.

Centering the Brilliance of (Im)migrant Children

Working closely with (im)migrants from diverse backgrounds, Drs. Bahena and Adams Corral offered critical framings of immigration to help us better understand some of the complexities that (im)migrant children and families often navigate as they engage with U.S. educational and social systems. Our guest speakers also highlighted ways in which U.S. early math professionals and institutions can learn from (im)migrant children and families as they bring rich math experiences that center play, storytelling, and community. A short list of related resources is available below.

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Dr. Melissa Adams Corral

Melissa Adams Corral is an assistant professor of Teaching and Learning at the University of Texas – Río Grande Valley. Her research focuses on developing methodologies from a community organizing stance and on drawing attention to the knowledge and educational experiences of Latinx children from multilingual communities. Before pursuing her PhD, Melissa worked as a bilingual elementary teacher in Texas for seven years, organizing with children and families.

Dr. Olimpia Bahena

Upon arriving from Mexico 30 years ago, Dr. Bahena began her U.S. career as a bilingual educator in Chicago. Her commitment to adult learning and professional development helped her become one of the first Latino educators to achieve National Board Certification. Dr. Bahena has actively contributed to the field as a mentor and instructor for bilingual teachers. She has also served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Chicago Public Schools. In her current role as the Deputy Chief of the Office of Language and Cultural Education in the Chicago Public Schools District, Dr. Bahena continues to influence bilingual education. She has received numerous awards for her leadership. She serves on the boards of the Latino Leadership Pipeline, the Network of Hispanics in Education, and the non-profit Working in the Schools.

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Centering the Brilliance of (Im)migrant Children

Centering the Brilliance of (Im)migrant Children