Voices of the District: Zulma Guzman
Zulma Guzman came to the United States from El Salvador in 2009. After originally arriving in New York, she moved to Philadelphia with her family in 2010. She has three children enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia: Mario, age 8, is a third grader at Joseph Catherine Elementary, Kevin, age 11, is a fifth grader at Catherine, and Joseline, age 17, is a Junior at South Philadelphia High School. Ms. Guzman also cares for her nephew who attends preschool.
Ms. Guzman had to work very hard for her children’s education. She began to get involved in the District by gathering information about how to enroll her children in school. After navigating the District for some time, Ms. Guzman met Linda Maldonado, who was a Parent Coordinator in the FACE Office at the time. Ms. Maldonado gave Ms. Guzman the resources she needed to support and advocate for her children.
After learning of programs available from the FACE Office and the District in general, Ms. Guzman began attending workshops at the District as often as possible. Through her personal pursuit of information, she began understanding the differences between the education system here in Philadelphia and the education system in El Salvador. She learned how to better interact with schools, and though the language barrier was difficult at first, she persevered so she could stay informed about her children’s education.
As she became more comfortable with the school environments and grew to understand the policies of the District and student responsibilities, Ms. Guzman became an advocate for the Spanish-speakers in her community. She knows firsthand what it feels like to be a newcomer in a country where few people in public institutions understand her language. People in her community began going to Ms. Guzman for help, and they asked her how to get involved. After taking English classes in her local community, Ms. Guzman became more equipped to advocate for her community. She does this for her children and for all children in her community.
In the Voices of the District video below, Ms. Guzman speaks about why being engaged in her children's education is so important to her. Nicole Marcote, Language Access Coordinator in the FACE Office, interprets.
