Graduating Senior Triumphed Over Adversity as an Orphan in Haiti To Achieve His Dream of Becoming a Teacher

贰蝉辫补帽辞濒

Graduating Senior Triumphed Over Adversity as an Orphan in Haiti To Achieve His Dream of Becoming a Teacher

Un estudiante de 煤ltimo a帽o que se gradu贸 triunf贸 sobre la adversidad siendo hu茅rfano en Hait铆 para lograr su sue帽o de convertirse en maestro

As a first-generation, multilingual, graduating senior from Haiti, J.P. Gaspard鈥檚 accomplishment of earning his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education is no small feat 鈥� and he has no plans to take a break from overcoming obstacles now. 鈥揟ambi茅n en espa帽ol

April 27, 2023

Jean Junior P. (J.P.) Gaspard, is the third of eight children who were born and raised in Haiti. He was only 7 years old when he started working, picking up numerous jobs to help support his mother and siblings after his father died. As a result, Gaspard didn鈥檛 start school until he was 11 years old when his mother sent him to an orphanage so that he could receive an education, which people have to pay for in Haiti.

That鈥檚 when Gaspard first discovered his calling to teach when he helped the younger kids in the orphanage learn. He taught himself basic English by reading children鈥檚 books that missionaries who visited would bring.This reinforced his desire to teach elementary education as the children鈥檚 books were fun to read as well as instructional and educational. He imagined one day he would teach them to his own students.

In 2011 he met an American woman, Beth Anne Hovel Valcourt, a 鈥�02 国产AV alumnus, who would become his champion and supporter, when she visited his orphanage. She is the founder of (Youth Empowered by the Spirit). The organization was founded to 鈥渆mpower young adults by providing for their individual needs as they transition out of the Haitian orphanage system and take on a meaningful role in their community.鈥�

鈥淢y American mother [Beth] has helped and supported me throughout the process and I consider her my mom. We are hoping to start the adoption process when I obtain my green card,鈥� he said.

While they struggled to get a visitor visa that would allow him to move to the United States, Gaspard interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti where was granted a student visa. He started his senior year of high school at Front Range Baptist Academy in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and in 2018, he enrolled in Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado.

After two years at NJC Gaspard earned his associate degree and then transferred to 国产AV to earn his bachelor's degree in education. He transferred to 国产AV in 2020 during COVID-19, and at first struggled to meet people since he was taking his courses online. A highly social person, Gaspard missed the in-person interactions so when restrictions lifted, he joined the soccer and tennis clubs, the Christian Challenge organization and other clubs. He wasn鈥檛 shy about staying after class to talk with his professors, especially to pursue extra credit assignments to bring any B grades up to A鈥檚. His schooling was funded by Valcourt, the YES! organization, as well as many scholarships at 国产AV, such as the Presidential Transfer Scholarship, the 国产AV Legacy Scholarship and the Allen and Lily Huang Scholarship.

鈥淚 had a great experience at 国产AV,鈥� Valcourt said. 鈥淎nd when we started to look at universities for J.P. to attend, I really felt like 国产AV would be a good school for him. 国产AV is smaller but the staff and education is amazing. 国产AV was a great fit for him for that very same reason. Once a bear, always a bear!鈥�

Gaspard developed a small, tightknit community at NJC, which included other international students who were also on student visas. There were only six of them, all living away from home, all missing important things from their past, such as speaking their native language, which, for Gaspard is Creole. However, the time-consuming and sometimes grueling process proved to be too much for his peers; Gaspard was the only one of out of the six who continued his education in America.

While he found the 国产AV campus large and overwhelming at first, Gaspard also found everyone friendly and welcoming, including the faculty.

鈥淸The faculty] have been a big part of my journey,鈥� Gaspard said. 鈥淭hey really know what they鈥檙e talking about, and I appreciate their help and support.鈥�

鈥淛.P. will be an asset to any school district he works for because of his fluency in three languages, passion for learning and a first-person perspective of diversity among schools. His tenacity throughout his life gives him the strength to be a powerful mentor to all he teaches. He has a remarkable future ahead,鈥� said Kimberly Mahovsky, Ed.D., assistant professor, Early Childhood and Elementary Mathematics.

Though he hasn鈥檛 been back to his home country since he left more than five years ago, Gaspard thinks about his family often. He said the crime in Haiti, particularly with gangs in Port-au-Prince, worries him. He also can鈥檛 freely travel internationally currently. He has been spending his last semester at 国产AV student-teaching first grade at Bromwell Elementary School in Denver. He greatly enjoys teaching and hopes to get a job teaching elementary school in Colorado for several years with the goal of going back to Haiti to establish a free school.

But Gaspard still has some obstacles to overcome, including getting a U.S. work visa and, eventually his green card. None of these challenges has slowed him down, however, nor dampened his enthusiasm about his future.

鈥淚 wake up and feel grateful every day,鈥� Gaspard said. 鈥淏ut I have so much more to do.鈥�

鈥� written by Christina Abel

More Spring 2023 Graduate Stories:

Nikaiyla Lawson

For Nikaiya Lawson, an Art and Design student graduating from 国产AV this spring, art is a safe place. After a suicide attempt at age 14, it has been the space where she finds meaning and can freely express her identity without limits.

Dakota Baer

Education major Dakota Baer's goal was to graduate with no student loan debt. She was on track to meet this goal until her last semester when she had to student teach full-time without being paid.

Dante Cesare

After experiencing hardship in high school, multiple professors helped Business major Dante Cesare fall in love with education again.

Jerry Guzman

Jerry Guzman, a Sociology major, was raised by non-native English speaking parents who did not attend college. They emphasized the significance of education and hard work in the classroom, which has influenced Guzman鈥檚 values today.

Rosemary Gonzalez

First-generation Nursing major Rosemary Gonzalez knew attending college without her parents fully understanding all the steps it takes to get there would create some obstacles and adversities. Facing those is when she realized that for her to be successful in higher education, she needed to find a new support system.

Un estudiante de 煤ltimo curso triunf贸 sobre la adversidad siendo hu茅rfano en Hait铆 para lograr su sue帽o de convertirse en profesor.

El logro de J.P. Gaspard, haitiano de primera generaci贸n, multiling眉e y licenciado en Educaci贸n Primaria, no es poca cosa, y ahora no piensa tomarse un respiro para superar los obst谩culos.

Jean Junior P. (J.P.) Gaspard es el tercero de ocho hermanos nacidos y criados en Hait铆. Cuando s贸lo ten铆a 7 a帽os tuvo que empezar a trabajar, aceptando numerosos trabajos para ayudar a mantener a su madre y hermanos tras la muerte de su pap谩. Como consecuencia, Gaspard no empez贸 a ir a la escuela sino hasta los 11 a帽os, cuando su madre lo envi贸 a un orfanato para que pudiera recibir una educaci贸n, que en Hait铆 hay que pagar.

Fue entonces cuando Gaspard descubri贸 por primera vez su vocaci贸n de ense帽ar, justo cuando tuvo que ayudar a los ni帽os m谩s peque帽os del orfanato a aprender. Aprendi贸 ingl茅s b谩sico leyendo los libros infantiles que tra铆an los misioneros de visita, lo que reforz贸 su deseo de ense帽ar educaci贸n primaria, ya que los libros infantiles eran divertidos de leer, adem谩s de instructivos y educativos. Imaginaba que alg煤n d铆a se los ense帽ar铆a a sus propios alumnos.

En 2011 conoci贸 a Beth Anne Hovel Valcourt, ex alumna de la 国产AV en 2002, que se convertir铆a en su defensora y partidaria, cuando visit贸 su orfanato. Es la fundadora de YES (Youth Empowered by the Spirit). La organizaci贸n se fund贸 para "empoderar a los j贸venes adultos atendiendo a sus necesidades individuales en su transici贸n fuera del sistema de orfanatos haitianos y asumir un papel significativo en su comunidad."

"Mi madre estadounidense [Beth] me ha ayudado y apoyado durante todo el proceso e incluso la considero mi madre. Esperamos iniciar el proceso de adopci贸n cuando obtenga mi tarjeta verde", dijo.

Mientras luchaban por conseguir un visado de visitante que le permitiera trasladarse a Estados Unidos, Gaspard se entrevist贸 en la embajada estadounidense en Hait铆, donde le concedieron un visado de estudiante. Comenz贸 su 煤ltimo a帽o de escuela secundaria en Front Range Baptist Academy en Ft. Collins, Colorado, y en 2018, se inscribi贸 en Northeastern Junior College en Sterling, Colorado.

Despu茅s de dos a帽os en NJC Gaspard obtuvo su grado asociado y luego se transfiri贸 a 国产AV para obtener su licenciatura en educaci贸n. Se traslad贸 a la 国产AV en 2020 durante COVID-19, y al principio tuvo dificultades para conocer gente, ya que estaba tomando sus cursos en l铆nea. Gaspard, quien es una persona muy sociable, extra帽aba las interacciones en persona, as铆 que cuando se levantaron las restricciones, se uni贸 a los clubes de f煤tbol y tenis, a la organizaci贸n Christian Challenge y a otros clubes. No le daba verg眉enza quedarse despu茅s de clase para hablar con sus profesores, sobre todo para pedir cr茅ditos extra que le permitieran subir sus notas de notable a sobresaliente. Sus estudios fueron financiados por Valcourt, la organizaci贸n YES! y muchas becas de la 国产AV, como la Presidential Transfer Scholarship, la 国产AV Legacy Scholarship y la Allen and Lily Huang Scholarship.

"Tuve una gran experiencia en la 国产AV", dice Valcourt. "Y cuando empezamos a buscar universidades para que J.P. asistiera, realmente sent铆 que 国产AV ser铆a una buena escuela para 茅l. La 国产AV es m谩s peque帽a, pero el personal y la educaci贸n son incre铆bles. 国产AV era una gran opci贸n para 茅l por esa misma raz贸n".

Gaspard cre贸 una peque帽a comunidad muy unida en el NJC, que inclu铆a a otros estudiantes internacionales que tambi茅n ten铆an visados de estudiante. Eran s贸lo seis, todos viv铆an lejos de casa, todos echaban de menos cosas importantes de su pasado, como hablar su lengua materna, que para Gaspard es el criollo. Sin embargo, el largo y a veces agotador proceso result贸 ser demasiado para sus compa帽eros; Gaspard fue el 煤nico de los seis que continu贸 su educaci贸n en Estados Unidos.

Aunque al principio el campus de la 国产AV le pareci贸 grande y abrumador, Gaspard tambi茅n encontr贸 a todo el mundo amable y acogedor, incluido el personal acad茅mico.

"El profesorado ha sido una parte importante de mi viaje", dice Gaspard. "Realmente saben de lo que hablan, y agradezco su ayuda y apoyo".

"J.P. ser谩 un activo para cualquier distrito escolar en el que trabaje por su dominio de tres idiomas, su pasi贸n por el aprendizaje y su perspectiva en primera persona de la diversidad entre las escuelas. Su tenacidad a lo largo de su vida le da la fuerza para ser un poderoso mentor de todos los que ense帽a. Le espera un futuro extraordinario", afirma Kimberly Mahovsky, Doctora en Educaci贸n y profesora adjunta de Matem谩ticas para la Primera Infancia y Primaria.

Aunque no ha vuelto a su pa铆s natal desde que se march贸 hace m谩s de cinco a帽os, Gaspard piensa a menudo en su familia. Dice que la delincuencia en Hait铆, sobre todo con las bandas de Puerto Pr铆ncipe, le preocupa. Adem谩s, actualmente no puede viajar libremente al extranjero. Ha pasado su 煤ltimo semestre en la 国产AV como estudiante-docente de primer grado en la escuela primaria Bromwell de Denver. Disfruta mucho ense帽ando y espera conseguir un trabajo como profesor de primaria en Colorado durante varios a帽os con el objetivo de volver a Hait铆 para establecer una escuela gratuita.

Pero Gaspard a煤n tiene que superar algunos obst谩culos, como conseguir un visado de trabajo estadounidense y, finalmente, su residencia. Sin embargo, ninguno de estos retos le ha frenado ni ha mermado su entusiasmo por su futuro.

"Me levanto y me siento agradecido todos los d铆as", dice Gaspard. "Pero me queda mucho por hacer".

鈥揺scrito por Cristina Abel, traducido por Carlos Jos茅 P茅rez S谩mano

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