Ruth Barajas

Affiliation

Californians Together

Biography

Ruth Barajas grew up in San Diego County. She had opportunities to become bilingual, taking Spanish courses at school, as a Rotary International Summer Youth Exchange student, in Leon, Gto. (Mexico) in high school, and later spending a year in Mexico City through the CSU International “Study Abroad” Program. She has been a strong advocate of multilingual programs for English learners and native English speakers alike ever since, working so that all students could have the opportunity to become proficient in a second (or third!) language. For over 30 years, Ruth has provided instruction and leadership at K-12 school and district levels, serving as a Bilingual Teacher, EL Specialist, and School Principal, and is now the Project Director for the English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative (ELLLI) and the Support for Immigrant and Refugee Students Project at Californians Together, a non-profit organization dedicated to equity and expanding access to quality education for multilingual learners in California schools.