Conversations with Fernando Romero

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fernando Romero. 

Hi Fernando, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Throughout my childhood, the only stable thing in my life was school. 

I grew up in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Our modest barrio was at the end of the airport’s runway. For as long as I can remember, I’d look up at the planes taking off and dream about the exotic places they were heading. 

When I was eight, my mother died. 

When she passed away, our family split apart. Although he had ten children, my father left us. Some of my brothers and sisters were old enough to move out on their own, but the rest of us were taken in by various relatives. Sometimes we stayed with a relative for a long time, other times just for a month or two. We were moved around a lot. 

I was luckier than most of my siblings. From the age of 6 to 12, my brother and I lived at a government-run boarding school. It was started by Eva Perón, an inspirational figure who came from a humble background quickly grew to be the first lady of Argentina, and gave back to her country by starting many social programs, including schools like ours. She modeled her schools after the European boarding school system, but unlike in Europe where these institutions are reserved for children of the privileged, the school I attended was intended to provide opportunities for less fortunate kids. I learned a great deal there and met Gabriella, my first mentor, and a teacher who helped me believe in my own abilities to succeed. 

When I was with my family, life was crazy. When I was in school, it was less crazy. 

When my older brother did not make it to the next grade at our school, he was not asked back. I followed him as I did not want to continue there without him. 

Because of the way my brothers and I grew up, no one expected much out of us. When I dropped out of school entirely at the age of 15 to begin working, it didn’t surprise anyone in my family. No one tried to guide me or push me towards higher education. Even today, I’m the first member of my family to go to college. However, there is hope for the rest. Today I am finding an increasing number of my 33 nieces and nephews have aspirations to go beyond high school. 

My path back to higher education wasn’t a direct one. I worked for many years doing odd jobs in Argentina, and eventually, I found steady work managing four hostels. While there, I met many diverse people, including my North American husband, who saw more in me than just being another high-school dropout. I began to realize how much bigger my life could be if I was willing to invest in my education. 

Seven years after dropping out, I went back to high school as an adult. I began taking English classes and worked as a Spanish tutor for the tourists in the hostels I managed. I was accepted into El Instituto Superior del Profesorado Dr. Joaquín V. González, Argentina’s most prestigious teachers’ college. The education I received there has brought me opportunities I never would have imagined when I was growing up. 

Unfortunately, the school is now in the middle of an ongoing political battle between the city and federal government. As a student there, classes were very often canceled due to protests as politicians threatened to revoke the institute’s right to certify new teachers if it did not comply with a new, and highly politicized nationwide curriculum. 

For a while, this discouraged me. All I wanted to do was study, but even the education system, my source of stability, was seemingly in ruins. This was especially clear to me when I paid a visit to my old boarding school and sadly discovered it had been reduced from a beautiful campus with multiple dormitories, classrooms, and athletic facilities, to one broken-down building. My mentor Gabriella is still there, but she has little hope for the future of the school. 

The upheaval in the education system in Argentina pushed me out of Argentina. But I am not one to dwell on the negatives in life. Rather than focus on the “push out,” I will instead focus on what pulled me to a place where I could live out my dreams. 

This pull started through my experiences as a tutor, teaching Spanish as a second language to people from all over the world. It continued as I traveled to several countries throughout Latin America and Europe, learning all I could about each local culture and seeking my next educational inspiration. 

To earn the money I needed to study, I challenged myself professionally outside of school. Before relocating to the United States, I was hired by a building management company in Buenos Aires. Just a few years before that, I had been content to run a handful of hostels, and now I was the manager for 20 fully occupied apartment buildings. This provided me with a steady income, but I knew I wanted to do more for society than deal with broken elevators and moderate Homeowners’ Association Meetings! 

Following my dream, continuing my education, and remaining in a healthy relationship meant I would have to start a new chapter and accompany my long-term partner back to his home country in the United States. 

After arriving in the United States, I have been filled with purpose. My English has improved, and I’ve become a full-time student. Once the Defense of Marriage Act was repealed, my partner and I could finally marry. There are many possibilities here, and for the first time, my vision is wide enough to see them. 

When I talk to the other immigrant students at St. Augustine College, we often discuss the American Dream. In the last few years, as my life has taken me closer to the United States, that phrase has started to mean something powerful to me. I’ve had to fight for my success, and my own dreams have been reached only through hard work and study. Given my family background, I’m accustomed to that struggle. My American Dream is getting the education, skills and opportunity I could never have gotten in Argentina – and then helping others accomplish the same. 

As a student, I’ve learned that with discipline, I can reach my goals. I’m extremely motivated, and I’m a good addition to any academic group. I’ve proven this to myself by earning a 3.9 GPA at St Augustine as a full-time student over the past three semesters. 

I’m planning to continue my pursuit of making the most of my educational opportunities. 

I chose the University of Illinois Chicago for the next step in my education because I believe it is an excellent place to learn and grow. I’m impressed by the support I’ve had so far from the LARES program, where I can clearly see that people at UIC care about the success of each student. 

I also look forward to obtaining the tools I need in order to reach as many people as possible and help them see how – no matter how great the challenge – it is possible to succeed. My nieces and nephews Skype me almost every day. I know they look up to me and I believe they are capable of also pushing themselves beyond the circumstances in which they were born. Whenever I doubt myself or need a dose of discipline, I think about them. Their faith in me is ultimately what drives me to succeed. 

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago, I worked as a Spanish teacher at three different schools in Chicago. However, despite working full-time, I always had private students. 

When the pandemic started my husband and I moved to Michigan, and I finished the year teaching online. Later, when in person classes began, I realized that it was not necessary to go to school to teach Spanish, and I dedicated myself completely to online teaching. 

Today I teach Spanish via Zoom and I have students of all levels and ages. I also do translations from English to Spanish. But my passion is teaching Spanish. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had many struggles. But I would say that first was to lose my parents at an early age and then to learn English so quickly so I can go to the university and finally obtain my college degree. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love teaching Spanish. I feel that the combination of learning a second language as an adult from scratch and my passion for my native language gives me the ability to understand students from their perspectives in a deeper level. This understanding is what I think set me apart from other teachers. 

I specialize in conversational Spanish, I teach for specific purposes such traveling, work, and or studies or tests. I am happy when I teach, and I am proud of myself when I do it, but I’m much more proud of my students, there is nothing more rewarding to me than hearing them speak Spanish. 

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Being disciplined, have a plan and never give up until you reach your goals. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spanishbsas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoSpanish
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernandoromeromckay/