DEBER Community College Students Honored With SDSU Seal of Biliteracy and Cultural Competence
The Latin beats were cranking, the Tostilocos street food was going fast and the positive vibes were absolutely unbeatable.
A festive family atmosphere reigned at San Diego State University’s International Student Center on Aug. 15 as nine individuals affiliated with a program to build pathways of bilingual educators from local community colleges were celebrated for earning SDSU’s University Seal of Biliteracy & Cultural Competence (USBCC).
Launched in 2021, SDSU’s USBCC is a digital badge earned by participating in a cultural and linguistic immersion experience and demonstrating working proficiency in a language other than English. Open to all SDSU students and staff members, more than 100 people have earned the seal in the past three years.
The newest recipients were from Project Developing Effective Bilingual Educators with Resources (DEBER), an initiative of SDSU’s Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education (DLE) that supports aspiring bilingual teachers at Southwestern College, San Diego Mesa College and San Diego City College through the transfer process to SDSU and the successful completion of a bilingual credential.
The inaugural DEBER recipients included five Mesa College students, with three having transferred to SDSU for the fall of 2023, three current SDSU students, and Javier Diego Jacinto. A community college and SDSU alumnus who has been serving as the DEBER's community outreach and engagement coordinator, Diego Jacinto played a pivotal role in coordinating the DEBER USBCC and also served as the event's emcee.
For Diego Jacinto, a DACA beneficiary who was born in Mexico and grew up speaking Spanish at home, leading the DEBER USBCC and receiving the seal was an important moment of validation and hope.
“Historically, we've seen Spanish viewed institutionally as a minor skill to have,” Diego Jacinto said. “Families often do not pass it on to their children because of past microaggressions that lead to embarrassment; They say I'm not going to teach Spanish to my child so they won't have to go through the same thing.
“This seal and this initiative represent a hopeful transition of that mindset. We're saying the language of Spanish is a skill and an asset — an ability that brings not just knowledge but a connection to culture."
The event was attended by College of Education Dean Y. Barry Chung and SDSU Associate Vice-President for International Affairs Cristina Alfaro, a former chair of SDSU’s DLE Department who founded the USBCC program.
To qualify for the DEBER USBCC, students are required to log and reflect upon 30 hours of linguistic and cultural immersion experiences, including activities such as school site visits and attendance at conferences and events tied to bilingualism. Students must also demonstrate working proficiency through standardized testing covering reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Spanish.
DEBER students received one-on-one guidance and individualized pathways to their linguistic and cultural immersion experiences and a $500 stipend. But as evidenced by the smiles on the faces of the recipients and their loved ones, they got more than that.
"I think this makes a statement that we’re not only valuing their language and culture, but we’re honoring their linguistic capital that has not always been valued in U.S. institutions," said Lysandra Perez, SDSU’s USBCC’s program coordinator and a doctoral student in SDSU’s Joint Ph.D. Program in Education with Claremont Graduate University.
"I grew up bilingual and I always felt like I was a part of two worlds — never really one or the other, just interchanging between both all the time. Being here today and being able to celebrate this exchange of cultures, it feels like we’re being seen.”
