Introduction
Born and raised in Smithfield, R.I., I am the daughter of Lebanese-American parents. As a child, I embraced my heritage, yet as I became older I attempted to become more "Americanized." At the time, no one was familiar with Lebanon and I had a desire to fit in with my peers. However, decades later, I deeply regret abandoning the language and culture and I have since immersed myself in the community. From the age of five, I knew that I wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps and become a teacher. My mother taught World Languages in Providence for over thirty years before she retired. In 2004, I graduated from Rhode Island College with a B.A. in English and Secondary Education. Almost two decades later, I enrolled in RIC's TESOL graduate program. Several of my colleagues and I finished the program in June and we have three classes left to obtain our M. Ed. TESOL. Currently, I am the teacher leader of the Multilingual Learner (MLL) Departme...