Virginia Martinez, left, received the 2001 Ruth J. Colvin Student of the Year award at LVA's national conference in Albuquerque, NM.

On coming to the United States, Virgina Martinez found herself in a different world, a world in which she could not communicate with anyone. When she came to the United States she couldn�t speak, write, or read in English.

Virgina is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. She grew up in a family of 13 with seven sisters and three brothers. Virgina is not married nor does she have any children, however she says, � A year and a half ago, I gained a big family through the Carlsbad Literacy Center.�

In Mexico, Virgina had a lot of schooling. She completed elementary, secondary, and preparatory school in Chihuahua. When she was 24 years old, she moved to Juarez to work at a Maquiladora electronics factory. Virgina qualified for a grant through the factory to get a degree in electronics through Edison University. She was a supervisor at the factory for 10 years.

While living in Juarez, Virgina often vacationed to the United States, visiting her sisters. Before long, she moved to the United States. She was the fourth of her sisters to move, with the rest of her family remaining in Mexico. Once in the United States, Jesse Morales of the Carlsbad Literacy Center contacted Virgina, offering her information and transportation to ESOL classes. Virgina took this opportunity with excitement.

Virgina has made great progress since she began with the Literacy Center. She as progressed from level IV to level VII as measured by the BEST assessment in the period from July 2000 to June 2001. Not only has Virgina gained great test scores, she has also gained great confidence in herself. When she first began, Virgina was hesitant to speak out or to converse in English. With her newfound confidence, Virgina serves as a role model for other students. She is eager to speak out in class and is confident in her conversing skills. The tutors at Carlsbad Literacy Center say that Virgina has great ambition, determination, and persistence in her learning. She shows a great dedication to her learning, and commits time outside of class to devote to studying.

Virgina has become a leader at the Carlsbad Literacy Center. In November 2000, Virgina began tutoring an ESOL student. This tutoring session developed into a group of three older, beginning ESOL students. Virgina spent 96 hours of her own time tutoring in addition to the 199 hours she volunteered at the Literacy Center, helping with preparations for special events. Virgina has assisted in teaching a beginning level ESOL course and has taken the initiative to start class when the instructor is otherwise occupied.

Virgina has wonderful teaching skills and is creative in her teaching methods. Some of her teachers have even considered these methods in their own classrooms. Virgina has previous teaching experience, however. Her experience stems from the 10 years she was a supervisor in the factory in Juarez, and her current job as a child care provider at a day care facility and with the family she lives with.

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