has taught pre-k, kindergarten and first grade during her 28 years of working in education. Currently, she teaches at Nellie Muir Elementary School in Woodburn, Oregon. For the past 23 years, she has run a Danza Folclórico program which has been the subject of published research articles due to its impact on community empowerment. She was instrumental in starting the first pre-school in Woodburn, Oregon. Rosa believes that educación is crucial to lift up and empower communities that have been historically marginalized. She views students’ languages and background as assets and not barriers to success.

Floyd was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. She received her diploma in folkloric dance and Master’s degree in architecture and interior design from the University of Guadalajara. Floyd continued studies in Madrid, Spain at the Universidad de Complutense language and literature in Spain. She worked in the audiovisual department at the Universidad de Guadalajara designing secondary instructional materials for a state educational program. When Floyd first moved to the United States, she worked as an instructional assistant at a migrant summer school and high school in Hillsboro. Seeing the needs of Spanish speaking students at the high school enacted a career change in Floyd’s life that brought her to pursue a teaching license. Floyd taught at an immersion Spanish program at the International School in Portland, Oregon for six years before she was recruited by a Title 1 school district where she currently teaches Dual Immersion Kindergarten. During this transition, Floyd attended Portland State University and completed her masters degree in Bilingual Education (Bilingual Teaching Pathway), along with her ESOL endorsement. Floyd works with students and colleagues to connect school to the community and create opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom.