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Hillsboro resident Claudia McClellan MAT '17 is looking forward to helping those new to the English language thrive in school.

McClellan is a first-generation American who didn’t speak English when she came to the United States from Mexico. She has overcome both the language barrier and a personal setback to graduate from ��ɳ���� University’s College of Education with a master of arts in teaching degree in 2017.

, is one of self-determination, encouragement from education mentors, and a strong desire to make a difference in both her local community and Oregon’s education circles.

As the Latino community continues to grow throughout Oregon, the need for culturally competent educators to aptly teach English as a second language continues to surge.

“I really wanted to become a teacher so that I could teach my native language,” McClellan said. “I found that my Hispanic background was not very well represented in the teaching of it, and I wanted to change that.”