How did you become involved in the Don Bosco Bilingual Program?

“When I was at a Peer Leadership meeting towards the end of the 2021 school year, I talked with the group about how I am fluent in Spanish and that I wanted to start volunteering that summer.  One of the seniors who had worked at the program already suggested Don Bosco to me and it seemed like the perfect fit.  Soon, when Mrs. Bader sent an email with a Don Bosco signup sheet to volunteer as an assistant teacher in the summer, I immediately put my name down.”

What are the benefits this program has on the students?

“The students I helped manage were brought back into a school setting after spending so much time isolated at home as a cause of COVID-19.  They were able to develop their social skills in the program while also experiencing a great education.  At Don Bosco, the teachers introduced them to topics such as emotions, the environment, and most presently, the English and Spanish language.  We saw at the end of the program how diligent they had become in their work and their growth in friendship with other students and teachers.”

What have you learned from your participation?

“In my participation, I learned how much I love volunteering, as I feel satisfied afterward knowing I benefitted the life of someone else in a great way.  Additionally, I gained so much respect for my own teachers at school, as educating and protecting students in a school setting is incredibly hard and requires the utmost carefulness.  This is because I recognized that young kids’ minds develop so quickly, and are most affected by the environment they are surrounded with.  That is why it is so important to find the right education and place for a child to grow up in, which reminded me how lucky I am to be at Sacred Heart Greenwich.”

The King Street Chronicle thanks sophomore Emma Robredo ’24 for her contributions to “Humans of Sacred Heart.”