Educators must be able to support students whose lived experiences may be far different from their own, particularly if those students are newcomers. In this session, Dr. Jose Luis Zelaya shares tools and strategies educators can use to help build strong relationships needed to remove obstacles that trauma can create. Dr. Zelaya draws on his own experiences as an unaccompanied minor as well as his expertise in working with school districts around the country during Day Two of Impact 2021.

The second annual Impact Conference is a free virtual event that took place on December 6th, 7th, and 9th and featured experts in supporting the needs of multilingual learners. Impact is an opportunity for classroom teachers and administrators, curriculum and instruction specialists, education advocates, policymakers, and more to join in a community of professional learning with the common goal of furthering progress in multilingual education. Learn more about our presenter below and watch all the recorded sessions on our Community Page.

Session Resources:

• Find our previous conversation with Dr. Zelaya about overcoming trauma and relationship building on our website
• Learn more about Dr. Zelaya's motivational speaking and consulting services at his website
• Watch his Ted Talk titled "From a Street Child to a Ph.D"
• Follow Dr. Zelaya on Twitter to stay updated on his work

Presenter Dr. Jose Luis Zelaya is a Dreamer born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. At 13 years of age, he was obligated to flee Honduras and embark on a journey to the United States as an unaccompanied minor. A graduate of Texas A&M University Department of Education and the CEO of Dr. Zelaya Educational Consulting LLC. At Texas A&M, Dr. Zelaya pursued a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies, a master’s in education in Curriculum and Instructions, and a Doctorate in Urban Education. He attributes each of his academic accomplishments to his family, mentors,and community who have supported his dreams of educational progress.