Ana Garcia Chichester ’76 was 16 when her family moved from Cuba to the United States. She didn’t know a word of English. ESL classes helped, but when she enrolled with her sister, Isabel Garcia ’76, at James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, she was far from fluent. “It was either sink or swim,” Chichester said. “It was tough, but people helped us.” Now the Spanish professor, who has been on the UMW faculty for two decades, is so comfortable with both languages she sometimes starts a sentence with one and finishes with the other. Her linguistic abilities reach beyond the foreign language department, translating into benefits for the community, where she volunteers extensively. As director of UMW’s Bachelor of Liberal Studies program, Chichester helps adult learners reach their academic goals. But perhaps her greatest gift to others is one she also gave herself – the ability to speak a second language. “I think I had an early calling to teach,” Chichester said. “I’m high … [Read more...]

https://magazine.umw.edu/spring2012/departments/qa/ana-garcia-chichester/