Gloria Perez arrived from a community in Oaxaca called Teotitlan del Valle in her mid-20s. She is very lucky to have a partner who has supported her in following her goals and two beautiful children who are her reason for learning and for sharing her knowledge with other families. Gloria is a parent, a community leader, a school district employee, and a member of the Palatine Early Learning Alliance (PELA). PELA is an early childhood community collaboration in Palatine, IL which came together to assess and determine childcare needs in the communities that the Community Consolidated School District 15 (SD 15) serves. In 2014, as Gloria began to get involved in her children’s extracurricular activities, she found her local Bilingual Parent Advisory Council (BPAC), as well as several other organizations all housed within one community center. As she pursued her GED there in 2016, she was invited to be a Community Liaison for a new program in School District 15, a job she still enjoys today. Gloria has continued to participate in BPAC, serving as Chair from 2018-2020. It is this work that led to an invitation to be a founding member of PELA in 2019. She is grateful to everyone who has supported her with her professional development.