¡Bienvenidos! Presently I am “Austin ISD proud” as an elementary, bilingual special education teacher working towards my master’s degree in Library Information Science at the University of North Texas. My goal is to continue my evolution as an educator in my school district by becoming a school librarian while simultaneously running a literacy-based makerspace, further extending my skills as an educator into a broader community of learners in Austin, Texas. In the spring of 1997, I received a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin spending a semester at the University of San José in Costa Rica. There, I worked in the small community of Santa Elena helping to build a school and organize a school library in the middle of the cloud forest! Upon receiving my bachelor’s degrees, I began working as a site director of after-school programming during which I returned to the University of Texas at Austin and received my teaching certification in 2000. In the 20 years of my teaching career, I’ve held positions as a 2nd and 5th-grade bilingual teacher and a bilingual reading specialist. In 2019, I was named Area 2 Teacher of the Year for Austin ISD. I am currently in my 14th year as a bilingual special education teacher.
Welcome to my ePortfolio, which will be utilized as a platform for me to document, develop, and dive into my librarianship. More specifically, you will be able to experience my discoveries through my blogs, explore resources that I have found helpful and/or intriguing, and view my growing knowledge base as I learn more about the five standards of the American Association of School Librarians. As I advance through my coursework, you will find that my professional philosophy will evolve. A long and challenging journey lies ahead; I look forward to having this ePortfolio as an archive of my travels through the world of Information Sciences.
Cynthia A. Ayala 