Author: Live Love Delaware

(Philadelphia, PA) – Tech Impact today announced it has received a $500,000 three-year grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation to support the continuation of Delaware’s first Registered IT Apprenticeship program. Tech Impact will extend the program as they work to develop highly-skilled IT talent to meet the increasing employer demand throughout the region, primarily in the financial tech industry. Currently, the program is made up of a diverse group of fifteen apprentices ages 26 to 45+, 41% female, and 84% identifying as Black, Middle Eastern, Hispanic/Latinx, or more than one race.

“We are excited to receive funding from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to continue our modern-day apprentice program,” said Patrick Callihan, Executive Director of Tech Impact. “The demand for IT talent in this region remains strong, and we’re confident that our IT apprenticeship program – now in its second year – will continue to drive workforce development and diversification while also providing underserved individuals with a pathway to a well-paying career.”

“JPMorgan Chase and Tech Impact are engaged in an important and dynamic partnership. This grant is designed to support our non-profit partners and stakeholders in the greater Delaware and Philadelphia region, and advance our strategic goal of creating a diverse tech talent pipeline”, said Tom Horne, Market Leader for JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Delaware.

“The notably rapid growth of the tech industry in Delaware means tech talent is always a priority.  Programs like the Registered IT Technology Support Apprenticeship program are critical to building our inclusive tech talent pipeline in Delaware”, said Delaware IT Industry Council Board Chair, Jennifer McDermott, Executive Director, Global Technology Workforce Strategy for JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Hiring partners of the IT Apprenticeship program include JPMorgan Chase, WSFS, Marlette Funding, SSD Technology Partners, MySherpa, and Tech Impact. Apprenticeships are full-time jobs that include on-the-job training and classroom instruction, allowing IT apprentices to earn while they learn. To be part of the IT apprenticeship program, experience is not required. Interested applicants can learn more by registering here.

An assistant professor from Wilmington University’s College of Education (COE) is leading a team of teachers and school officials as part of a national effort to examine the entry requirements for education degrees and the teaching profession.

The Delaware Department of Education selected Dr. Michele Brewer, the COE’s chair of Technology, Assessment and Compliance, to direct the state’s contributions to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments. The research that the 14 participating states deliver could help many more aspiring educators pursue teaching careers.

“Reconsidering teacher certification and licensure requirements may change the profession by providing more opportunities for recruiting and training talented individuals who have a passion for teaching,” Brewer said. “Delaware’s education stakeholders understand that these assessments and examinations may be an obstacle for potential teachers, which is why exploring possible reforms and innovations is crucial.”

Brewer, COE Dean Dr. John Gray and the WilmU director of teacher preparation Alfred DiEmedio join more than a dozen educators and administrators from school districts, charter schools, college teaching programs and the federal Department of Education in surveying stakeholders and collecting data for the AACTE’s research efforts. The main focus of these efforts — which are funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — is an evaluation and comparison of the criteria that states use in setting standardized test score requirements, or “cut scores,” for entry into college-level teacher preparation programs.

Upon their conclusion, these research efforts aim to present state education authorities and lawmakers nationwide with recommendations for rethinking test score requirements as a way to address teacher shortages and diversity concerns.

“Setting cut scores on commonly used tests in educational contexts should involve policymakers, educators, measurement professionals and other stakeholders in a multi-stage process,” said Brewer. “Unfortunately, this is not the norm across the country, with arbitrary cut scores creating barriers for aspiring educators, particularly for minority candidates. It is critical to obtain consensus among the stakeholders.”

Delaware eliminated entrance exam requirements for teacher preparation programs (known as the Praxis Core) in 2017. It still requires passing scores on Praxis II Content tests, which measure general and subject-specific content knowledge, for state licensure and certification. While this research is occurring, Wilmington University’s teacher preparation programs incorporate new and innovative enhancements designed to help those in teacher preparation programs meet Praxis II requirements. WilmU also awards credit for students who have passed the Praxis II exam. With its well-established and nationally recognized yearlong residency program for student teachers, reputation for teaching innovation and available scholarships, Wilmington University is a leader in providing more and diverse teachers to educate the next generations of pre-K, elementary, middle and high school students.

Learn more about teacher preparation programs at WilmU at www.wilmu.edu/academics/education.

On Sept. 15, 1953, Delaware’s elite gathered in Fournier Memorial Hall in Wilmington to salute two Delaware superstars: Ed “Porky” Oliver and Dave Douglas, the only two golfers from one state on the U.S. Ryder Cup squad. 

“It was the dinner of the year,” says John Riley, author of How He Played the Game: Ed “Porky” Oliver and Golf’s Greatest Generation. “The governor was there, and the mayor was there. Oliver and Douglas were going to England and playing as partners — two guys from little Delaware.”

The local paper, The Journal Every Evening, noted that “both have been in the big money class the past two years.” But Oliver was outpacing his friend in earnings. “For 25 years, he was Delaware’s celebrity,” Riley says.

Today, most Wilmington-area residents have heard of Ed Oliver Golf Club, located on the city’s edge. But few know about the gregarious golfer for whom it is named. Riley is seeking to change that with the recent release of his book, published by Faith & Family Publications.

It is not the first time Riley has brought Delaware’s movers and shakers into the limelight. With former Philadelphia Eagle star and Delaware resident Kevin Reilly, he co-authored Tackling Life: How Faith, Family, Friends and Fortitude Kept an NFL Linebacker in the Game.  Riley also wrote Delaware Eyewitness: Behind the Scenes in the First State. 

Indeed, Riley has had a role in some of the state’s significant business undertakings. The many changes he witnessed are reflected in his books, which are odes to Delawareans and the forces that shaped them.

Initially, Riley wanted to chronicle the decline of Hercules, a chemical company with a Delaware presence that dated back to the 19th century. But the autobiography buff also wanted to chronicle the eras that influenced him and the state’s history, including the Vietnam War draft era. Delaware Eyewitness became a memoir and an insight into Delaware business and politics.

Riley mentions some 400 local personalities in the book. But few would argue that that author also has a past worth telling. He grew up with eight siblings in a 900-square-foot home on Wilmington’s East Side. Porky Oliver and his family lived down the street. Oliver’s son, Bobby, and Riley played on the same high school golf team. When Riley caddied at Wilmington’s Rock Manor Golf Club, players often spoke glowingly of Oliver as a hero.

Riley attended Salesianum High School and the University of Delaware. As a college senior, he was drafted and entered Army Infantry Candidate School. Fresh from the Army, he considered running for U.S. Congress, much to Joe Biden’s dismay. Biden, who was running for the U.S. Senate, felt the two twentysomethings would be known as the “kiddie candidates,” Riley details in his book.

Riley eventually did spend time in public service. He served on the New Castle County Council and as director of business development for the Delaware Economic Development Office, the predecessor to the public-private not-for-profit Delaware Prosperity Partnership organization.

Riley participated in significant business deals that changed the state’s economic landscape. In 1994, he helped engineer MBNA’s purchase of DuPont’s Louviers complex — golf course and all. Three years later, Riley was on the team that convinced AstraZeneca to make Wilmington its North American headquarters.

His roles put him in the eye of big business, and he joined Hercules when the company specialized in chemicals for paper processing. Riley was head of government and public relations at Hercules, and when the Ashland Corporation purchased and dissolved Hercules, he became the specialty chemical company’s director of government relations.

Riley also witnessed the transformation of DuPont, which merged with Dow Chemical in 2017. MBNA was later sold to Bank of America. But out of change comes progress. While AstraZenca has since downsized, the Wilmington campus now accommodates other major corporations, and soon it will have residential and retail space.

Those who cut their teeth in corporate banking and biopharma are making a difference in Delaware, Riley maintains. These sectors have subdivided, expanded and become entrepreneurial. In Delaware, biotech and fintech have emerged from pharma, chemicals and banking.

The state’s adaptability comes from the outstanding talent and intelligent people who live here, he says.

After detailing his experiences in Delaware Eyewitness, Riley’s thoughts drifted to the golfer Sports Illustrated had called the most popular man on the golf circuit. “He had a Pied Piper personality that people embraced,” Riley says. “They followed him and lived and died on his golf exploits his whole life.”

Porky’s portly body had earned him that nickname. But he had many others as well. “One golfer said if you called him by his real name, he probably wouldn’t have answered,” Riley says.

Delawareans, including News Journal sportswriter Al Cartwright, kept regular tabs on Oliver even after he’d moved from the state — and with good reason. Oliver won on the PGA Tour eight times and finished second in major championships.

In May 1960, Oliver was diagnosed with cancer and had a lung removed. He didn’t stay down for long – he was in a tournament by that fall. But after suffering a relapse, he returned to Delaware, where supporters, including President John F. Kennedy, raised funds to help the family. Oliver died in September 1961 at the age of 46. Olympian-turned-actor Johnny Weissmuller and Arnold Palmer sent flowers, and Bing Crosby, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead sent condolences by telegram.

When Riley was on the New Castle County Council in 1983, he and his colleagues, including now-Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, successfully lobbied to rename the Greenhill Golf Club after Ed Oliver. Today, Riley is working with the city and the golf club management to tell Oliver’s story through photographs, trophies and other collectibles in the clubhouse.

At the event for Riley’s book release, not many of the 120 attendees knew the golfer personally. No matter. “They all had an interest,” Riley says. Purzycki and Governor John Carney spoke, along with former Phillie Phanatic Dave Raymond, motivational speaker Kevin Reilly, book advisor Don Kirtley and Tom Humphrey, the Delaware chair of the BMW Championship, which is coming to Wilmington Country Club in August 2022. There was an emotional moment when Oliver’s son and grandson addressed the crowd.

They were all on hand to celebrate a Delaware celebrity because he was a Delawarean. “It is,” an attendee commented, “a distinctly Delaware event.”

Book sales that night raised more than $1,700 for First Tee Delaware, a youth development organization that marries golf with a curriculum that builds life skills and empowerment. To purchase How He Played the Game, visit olivergolfbook.com.

For Yvette Santiago, the key to achieving diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in the nonprofit sector is “intentionality.”

“First, you need to ask who we envision in this seat or seats to reflect our goals,” she says. “Then, you need to look at your processes and practices to attract the workforce that meets or exceeds those goals.”

Santiago has been at Nemours for 17 years, currently serving as director of community engagement and also co-leading the Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative’s Public Policy Committee. She points to areas like revising job descriptions that often require a bachelor’s or master’s degree to focusing on experience and changing the approach to new-hire interviewing. With the latter, Nemours takes a behavioral approach, where candidates are asked to provide specific examples of how they have demonstrated certain behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that reflect their cultural competence.

Yvette Santiago – A Vocal Advocate for Diverse Representation

She’s also been a vocal advocate for rules governing the setting of minimum percentage targets for diverse representation on state and local boards. “Boards govern and set policy, so it is incredibly important to have boards that understand the needs of and adequately represent the population they are serving,” she says.

But it goes far beyond that. Santiago says Nemours has started to expand on its pipeline recruiting and onboarding efforts. The hospital recently developed a partnership with nursing technology students from Hodgson Vo-Tech where they will complete their clinical rotations in the spring. Nemours is also assessing internally to create learning opportunities for current associates that will expand their career possibilities and potentially qualify them for higher-paying or more desirable positions. 

“It’s important for professionals in the workplace to have a career pathway and ladder,” Santiago says, “and this enables job satisfaction and retention.”

At Nemours, she is a member of the Diversity, Anti-Racism, Inclusion, Value, and Equity (DRIVE) Taskforce and also co-chairs the internal Adelante group for Latino employees. Adelante is one of a number of resource groups at the hospital targeted at such constituencies as African Heritage Americans, the LGBTQ+ community and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

“We’re trying to move every mountain that’s in our way, and that extends to my nonprofit work,” she says. “When we’re intentional, we can find the rockstars who are out there looking for an opportunity to show what they can do for the organization.”

Santiago describes herself as “100 percent Puerto Rican.” Her parents came to this area from Puerto Rico when they were about 17 years old for a better life and seeking higher wages. “I was actually born right over the line in West Chester,” she says, “and we moved to Wilmington when I was 5.”

She says her parents always stressed that education was an opportunity that could open many doors and that nobody could ever take it away. Santiago got involved in the community for a very personal reason.

“We had a number of family members that really were involved in either the criminal justice system or the social service system,” she says. “I saw very early on the struggles that they went through, whether it was through mental health, addiction, not being able to work for whatever reason. Many times, I served as the translator for my family, whether it was going to the doctor or going to court and learned very early on that they were treated differently, treated as if they were ‘less than’ because they didn’t speak the language.”

Santiago says she wanted to be able to help people like her family, to help the ones struggling with issues such as addiction and mental health and to help them figure out the system and understand the resources available to them.

Questions & Answers with Yvette Santiago

What makes your heart sing?

Yvette Santiago: Seeing communities that are thriving and seeing kids and families who genuinely are happy with where they are and where they’re trying to go. I work for the hospital. I’m not a clinician, but I know the work that I do helps to improve our systems and our policies and our ability to provide services to kids and families. When I see those families turning those tears into smiles and joy that their children are okay, that makes my heart sing.

I also have served as the president of the board for New Castle County Vo-Tech for the past seven years and have served in total for the past 15 years. I will tell you that every graduation, my heart is fluttering because to see kids graduating from high school and walking across that stage and families just cheering in the stands, it gives me goosebumps. I get emotional because I know there are so many kids that are not in that place, so many families that don’t get a chance to experience that.

The first word in your LinkedIn profile is Trailblazer. Talk a little bit about that.

Yvette Santiago: Throughout my career, I’ve often been the only Hispanic female in the room. At Nemours, from a non-clinical perspective, I am the only senior leader that is Latina or Latino. It wasn’t always easy for me to amplify my voice at those tables because I struggled to convey the sentiment that needed to be said. My experiences, perspectives and knowledge were vastly different, and that is my incredible value. In other experiences, there were other Latinos in the room with me who understood the issues that our respective communities were facing. And you could see it made a significant difference in how we approached and sought to address issues.

Throughout my 30-year career, I have gotten so much better at elevating issues that need to be elevated. About 10 years ago, I decided that if I have a seat at this table, it is my responsibility to speak up about the issues that need to be brought to light. If I can’t do that, I need to step away and allow somebody else to have that seat at the table. Over time, I have realized that I have a level of influence that others may not have so if can help move the needle in the right direction, that’s what I want to do. So when I say “trailblazer,” that’s true because even today, I’m still, in many cases, the only Hispanic voice in the room, and I’m trying to blaze the trail for other Latinas and people of color.

At what point in your life did you realize you had the power of change or the power to do something meaningful?

Yvette Santiago: It’s been gradual. When I moved into a supervisory role at Ferris School, I felt like I could create change. But higher-level leadership gave me the feedback that I probably needed to slow down a little bit. And so I learned that influence and authority had its opportunities but also had its limits. As I’ve come up the ranks and gained more authority and influence, I push the envelope a lot harder because of the seat that I’m sitting at. So it’s been gradual throughout my career.

I’m sure you receive a lot of volunteer requests. How do you avoid being stretched too thin?

Yvette Santiago: Wisdom comes with age. I’ve learned to balance doing great things in the community with keeping my connection at home with my son and husband.

I recently accepted an invitation to become a trustee for the Delaware Art Museum. I’ve never really been into the arts, but I realized that that is a creative opportunity to reach our most underprivileged and vulnerable communities if they have not been exposed to the arts and all of the opportunities that offer that, as well as the connection to the vo-tech students and how we can create partnerships. From the perspective of Nemours, we have a lot of kids that sometimes need that type of activity in our hospital, and figuring out partnership ways where we can bring the Delaware Art Museum into the hospital. For families that are at the Ronald McDonald House because their kids are in the hospital for a significant period of time, they can just go visit the art museum and get away from the heaviness of having a child really sick in the hospital.

My choices are based on how I can connect it back to the things that I’m doing every day. And how can I make sure that my participation is effecting the change that really does need to happen?

How do you want to be remembered?

Yvette Santiago: I want to be remembered as someone who worked hard and rose through the ranks to represent and serve people who did not have a voice. I want to be remembered as someone who genuinely cared about the issues and worked extremely hard to try to get resolution to those issues. And I just want to be remembered as a good person that just wanted to do good things in spite of challenges that were presented.

What’s the question you wish more people would ask themselves?

Yvette Santiago: Am I in the right seat?

What advice would you give your younger self? And what were you doing at the time?

Yvette Santiago: “You are great, and you are worthy.” When I was young, I was extremely shy. For me, magnifying and amplifying my voice to the level that I do now is probably one of my greatest accomplishments. Early on in my career, people saw disagreement as you don’t like them or that person is really not part of the team. And so that’s what I would say. It’s okay to speak up as long as you do it in a way that is respectful.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Delaware?

Yvette Santiago: We talk about The Delaware Way, which has historically been defined by very narrow perspectives. But that’s changing, and we need to keep evolving toward how new people coming into Delaware define it as being collaborative and because we’re a small state, we can work across counties and political affiliation to get things done. We now have a Black caucus in the legislature, a transgender representative. But we need more Latinos, and we’re moving in the right direction to truly represent all communities in the state.

What’s the pebble in your shoe, that everyday distraction that takes you off-course?

I think duplication of efforts. There are so many organizations, and many of them are doing very similar things. We need to look for ways to eliminate duplication and silos and work together. The other piece of that is there are some organizations that may not be willing to collaborate because it might be a big content area, a big issue area. And they want to be seen as out in front of that particular issue.

What’s your superpower?

Yvette Santiago: I just like people. I don’t know that I have anything fancy, but I love people. I love to talk to people. I love to work with people. I like being around people. I guess it’s just my ability to connect with people.

What’s your Kryptonite?

Yvette Santiago: Despair. Lack of hope. Sometimes when you see all that you’ve accomplished, you still see there is so much more to do. And when you see there’s so much more to do, you get that sense of despair and you start to feel that lack of hope like, “Are we ever really going to get there?” I know that in my career when I started, a lot of the things that we talked about 30 years ago, we’re still talking about today.

You’ve just been given a giant billboard. What does it say and where are you going to put it? 

Yvette Santiago: What I would say on it is, “Are you going where you want to be?” And you can put it anywhere – the Interstate, in Wilmington, in Sussex County, in vulnerable communities. I’d put that on the billboard, because if you’re not going where you want to be, what do you need to do to change that?

Who or what is inspiring you right now?

Yvette Santiago: My son is 21 years old and is about to [get his degree from] Assumption University in Massachusetts. He’s a football player. He’s an EMT. He’s very focused on what he wants to do. I’m inspired by his youth and focus and by his enthusiasm for life. And I think I’m inspired by him because I know there are a lot of other kids that are in that very same place that he is. What inspires me is if I can continue to do what I’m doing and spread that across whatever platforms I can, then I think we’ll have more people in that very same place.

As I look back on my life, I say, “Not too bad for a Latina girl from West 23^rd St. whose parents’ love and encouragement was unwavering.” My parents are my foundation, and I’m only where I am today because of the hard work and ethics they instilled in me. I will never forget where I came from. It’s what has made me who I am today.

Do you know a college student or recent graduate looking for a spring internship? Encourage them to apply for the internship program in the Office of the Secretary of State!

The Delaware Department of State Internship Program is an exciting opportunity for college students or recent graduates to gain experience in a professional setting, learn more about the policy-making process, and experience state politics at work. By completing the internship program, interns can gain practical skills that will prepare them for future endeavors in public service. This is a part-time, paid program open to college students and recent graduates with a record of academic excellence and a strong interest in public service. The internship will be located in the Dover office. Applications can be submitted for the spring, summer, and fall terms. The deadline to apply for the spring term (February through May) is January 14, 2022.

Application Priority Deadlines:

• Spring term (February through May): January 14, 2022
• Summer term (June through August): May 13, 2022
• Fall term (September through November): August 12, 2022

For more information on the 2022 Spring Internship Program, visit State of Delaware Internships site.

Attention Kent County small businesses!

Kent County Levy Court, Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce and Kent County Tourism have launched a new $3 million grant program for Kent County small businesses. Grant funds are available for small businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees who had established operations in Kent County during calendar years 2020 and 2019 and are in still in operation today. Grant funds can be used to directly support the operation of the business.

 A similar $2 million grant program was also launched for Kent County hotel and banquet/meeting facilities. Eligible organizations include hoteliers and for-profit banquet/meeting facilities with established operations in Kent County during calendar years 2020 and 2019 who are still in operation today.

Both grant programs are currently accepting applications. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2022, or when funds are exhausted for the grant programs.

Visit the Kent Count Small Business Grants website to apply for a grant and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Delawareans with longish memories can think back a decade and remember the launch of the Dual Language Immersion Program. Close to 100 of those original kindergarteners are arriving this fall at Indian River High School, Caesar Rodney High School, and AI Du Pont High School, where they will start the next phase.

Those students who are ready will take AP Spanish or AP Chinese as freshmen and will then be eligible if they score well on the AP test to take classes at the University of Delaware or Delaware State University where they could be close to already earning a minor in the language by the time they graduate from high school.

The goal of the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) initiative, created by former Gov. Jack Markell, was to ensure the state produces “generations of Delawareans with advanced level language skills to keep Delaware economically competitive and to build stronger, more connected communities across the state,” said Gregory Fulkerson, Education Associate for World Languages and Dual Language Immersion.

Participation has grown over the past decade to more than 8,000 students enrolled at the end of the last school year, with estimates for the 2021-22 school year of 9,800 immersion students across 57 schools, including new kindergarten cohorts in nearly 30 schools.

“We know that immersion education is good for any learner, period, regardless of what their first language is, regardless of whether they already speak a language other than English at home, regardless of their socioeconomic status, regardless of their ability,” said Lynn Fulton, Education Specialist for Dual Language Immersion. “Schools and districts across the state are really paying attention to making sure that their immersion classrooms are no less diverse than the overall diversity of their schools and of their communities.”

From a demographic standpoint, Fulton says that DLI student enrollment is diverse — 23% are African-American; 27% are Hispanic or Latino; 22% of from are from low-income households; and 20% speak a language other than English at home as their primary language. In addition, every district’s DLI population includes special education students.

Delaware elementary Dual Language Immersion programs split the day equally into blocks of English-language instruction and instruction in the immersion partner language. While Spanish DLI programs are located across all three counties, the Chinese DLI programs are located in New Castle and Kent counties, Fulton said.

Dual Language Immersion’s Decade of Accomplishments

Fulkerson and Fulton said they’re proud of three major accomplishments from the past decade of dual language immersion learning:

1. Student-language proficiency among eighth graders – even with the challenges of the pandemic – hit the expectation that the state set at the beginning of the program for both non-native and native English speakers. Immersion partner language proficiency assessment takes place every year, starting in third grade.
2. Placing a focus on administrator professional learning and in-school support is building internal capacity of participating schools and districts. The state has done that by embedding dual language immersion coaches in districts across the state and building flexible structures that would allow expansion based on demand.
3. Learning in two languages is beginning to be more accepted and Delawareans are beginning to understand the value of learning in two languages. “This is a way to help [students] really get that sense of identity in their first language, their heritage language,” Fulkerson said.

Fulton says that students can be successful if they start a DLI program in either kindergarten or first grade. However, it is too difficult for the student to begin in second grade or beyond because so much foundational language has been developed in the first two years. An exception to this is students who have some background in the language at home or in another state; they may be able to enter Delaware DLI programs at any grade.

Fulton says she’s seen families come in from other states and choose where to live based on the availability of an immersion program at their child’s grade level. This has also happened within Delaware where parents have moved from one district to another and been able to transition their children into an existing immersion program.

Early on, the DLI team took administrators interested in exploring immersion programs on administrator study missions to see how it worked elsewhere. A visit to Wasatch School District in Utah had an impact on a number of Delaware administrators. “The superintendent of the school district told Delaware administrators that he had immersion programs in each of his elementary schools because he wanted to change the culture of his district,” Fulkerson said. “He wanted to create friendships where the students bond between languages and between cultures. He wanted to change the entire culture of his district into being an inviting place for cross-cultural friendships to develop.”

Cape Henlopen and Seaford School Districts have followed the lead of that Utah district by establishing dual language immersion programs in each of their elementary schools, allowing greater access for every student to learn in two languages.

“We know what the research says about the strong cognitive and academic benefits for learners in dual language immersion programs,” Fulkerson said. “But that friendship piece, I think, is such a powerful thing too. That’s really what we’re in this for— to ultimately create that positive inter-cultural, inter-language value between people.”