“Success is not the finish line. Success is the journey.” In all ways, Spanish for Heritage instructor Otto Corzo hopes to instill this belief in not just his students, but also fellow instructors, by advocating for traditionally underrepresented groups — especially English Language Learner (EL) students. While he initially felt that taking on the position of an EL instructor might prove daunting without prior experience, Corzo soon realized that he could have an impact on current and future students. To further his mission, Corzo took additional courses to attain an EL endorsement, and also pushed for greater district-wide communication about the EL instruction team. Corzo believes he has not yet been “successful” in his mission to advocate for EL instruction because “success is a process, not a product,” and he wishes to keep improving at his goals.
