Written By: Ingrid Martinez, HBR Student
Ever since I arrived at Hinckley-Big Rock in my eighth-grade year, I’ve received incredible amounts of support as a bilingual student. Because I got there with little to no experience with speaking or understanding English, the school always made sure that I didn’t fall behind and supported me every step of the way. Then as I moved on to High School, I was allowed to demonstrate both parts of my identity through the seal of biliteracy, which would allow me to hone my English abilities and demonstrate the importance and impact that being bilingual has had on my life. The school and especially Mrs. Lopez and Mrs. Clark always made sure to tell me to never hide away my culture and my language, but be proud of where I come from and take advantage of all the opportunities to come along with the privilege of knowing and fluently speaking two languages. While I almost passed my first attempt during my junior year, they made sure I was able to attain the seal during my Senior year since it would be displayed on my official diploma.
I think it is so important to display that these opportunities are given to students, especially in such a close-knit community; I was never aware of the advantages such as getting a leg up in the job market, encouraging college admissions, the program itself offers scholarships and study abroad opportunities, and even earn college credit, much less that it existed at all, but it is thanks to the care and passion that Mrs. Lopez and Mrs. Clark portray for their multilingual students, that I was able to feel proud of who I am and how far my culture will take 
