The Story Behind Our Latin American Educational Program
A Message From Our Founder
In the summer of 2001, as a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, at the University of Texas at San Antonio, I discovered my identity. I was truly amazed on how long it took to determine who I am and what cultures define me. This gave me pride, which in turn, energized me to help my students achieve that same level of fulfillment. This is how Proyecto BBRAVO was born.
What Is Proyecto BBRAVO?
Proyecto BBRAVO is an acronym in Spanish that means Bilingües/Biculturales, Respaldando, Ascendiendo hacia Virtudes y Oportunidades. It consists of an initial curriculum component: the Spanish as a Living Language of Our Latino Cultures (LL) and Spanish Language Arts (SLA) courses that incorporate Latin American literature, Latino literature, Spanish grammar, and Spanish orthography.
The second component is the graduate apprenticeship. Here, the students are now taking upper-level Spanish classes and are eligible to become apprentices. They will tutor students taking beginner-level Spanish classes and assist Spanish teachers with whatever needs they may have.
The third component is the academic symposium. Being an integral part of the LL curriculum, the second-year LL students will design, plan, and implement a symposium that relates to their curriculum.
The final component, the Field Experience, involves a real-world working experience at organizations and offices such as:
Once completed, the students are invited to an interview in front of a panel consisting of the assistant principal, coordinator of world languages, guidance counselor, representatives from each site, and the director/advisor of Proyecto BBRAVO.
Upon the candidates’ acceptance of the position, they must fulfill a minimum of 200 hours at the site, write a research paper, keep a daily journal in Spanish, and give a final experience presentation in front of the school audience and a local television station. Finally, there will be an exit interview with the assistant principal, the coordinator of world languages, representatives of the site they worked for, and the program director.
The Importance of Our Program
Proyecto BBRAVO provides the students with a sense of pride for who they are and what they can become. The program has also been devised to develop certain traits in the participants, including professionalism and a sense of responsibility. In addition, the students are expected to demonstrate the ability to advocate for themselves, be open to learning experiences, and execute any task that is given to them.
Our goal at Proyecto BBRAVO is to provide the participants with a creative, caring, and learning environment and to discover the limitless possibilities they have to offer to our society.