STOCKTON – For years, local non-profits like El Concilio California in Stockton have been serving migrant families.
One Central American woman with an incredible journey turned to that group to get her young children an education.
Santurnino, 2, is learning English at the El Concilio preschool center in Stockton. The center primarily serves the under-served community including migrant families.
Karina Valle is a preschool teacher at the center. She knows the challenges firsthand.
At age 17, Valle immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and understood the sacrifices her parents were making in the agriculture fields of the Central Valley.
“It was hard because of the language. There are new cultures, and everything was new for me in this country,” Valle said. “My mother went to work in the tomato fields, so she used to work there.”
As a teacher, Valle feels she’s giving back to her community, often speaking to her students in two languages.