¿Quién soy? Mi historia

!Hola! My name is Dr. Xigrid (see-greed) Soto-Boykin!  I could start with my professional background and credentials, but that's not why I do the work I do. 

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I do the work I do because I have lived experiences as a person who learned English as a second language when I was 11 years old.  When my family and I moved to the U.S. from my bella isla de Puerto Rico (#wepa), I was placed in a special education classroom. My mom had to fight to get me out and into honor's classes, while my teachers didn't  think I would be successful.  

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Unfortunately, I was never given supports to learn English, let alone to continue to learn in my español. I taught myself to read and write in English. By all means, I became successful "on paper," graduating with a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Florida. However, learning English without creating a space for mi lengua de madre to keep flourishing  came at a great cost. 

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I internalized the belief that my bilingüismo was not good enough, that I should be ashamed of my accent, and that the stories of mi gente, mi isla, were irrelevant and unworthy in the classroom. 

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SO...

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As I have healed and realized the beauty of my bilingual identity, I am determined to offer resources and trainings so that all educators and families are confident and empowered to support both disabled and non-disabled children who are dual language learners, so we can create a world where all children's ways of communicating, and their bilingualism, are legitimized, celebrated, and nurtured. 

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