Careers for Bilinguals | Pursuing a Programs Role With Cecilia Chau

Bilingual professionals—those who can speak two languages fluently—can find a myriad of job opportunities in the social-impact sector. With options to teach, participate in direct service, lead international teams, and more, dual-language speakers often find that the sector is their oyster.

For these reasons and more, making a change as a mid-career professional doesn't have to be so daunting. If you're considering taking a job within the programs department of an organization, for example, your language skills will definitely bring value to your application.

Cecilia Chau, an advocate for children’s education, and in particular for building bilingual skills for all students—including those from disadvantaged backgrounds—has had this kind of career shift herself. After a long career in the for-profit world, Ms. Chau honored her passion for about working with children by pursuing a programs job at a nonprofit.

Read on to learn more about her story, as told to me in a recent interview:

Tell me a little bit about your current role.

I work as the Coordinator of a dual-language program at a nonprofit organization. Students begin the program in pre-kindergarten and continue onto fifth grade. The program is recognized for its progressive views; the objective ensures all students graduating from fifth grade are bilingual, bicultural, and literate in both English and Spanish.

The particular school where I work is in one of the most marginalized communities on Staten Island; this program belongs there. We needed to give the children in this community a fighting chance. College is not for everyone, but we have to think about what is interesting to the person involved—what will benefit them, and how they will make a living? Let’s give them language skills. Even if they don’t go to university, they can get a job because of their second language.

Many people think specialized programs only belong to children of privilege. If there’s a theme among my trajectory in teaching and working in education, it’s social justice.

How did you become interested in your career field?

Teaching is my second career, my second interest. It happened by accident. I’m originally from LA, and I worked at MCA Universal for many years.

I was at a coffee shop one day, and I saw a flyer calling for volunteers—people who are bilingual and want to volunteer at schools. They didn’t have enough bilingual people to work in schools.

I later called and, I have to tell you, the first day, the first hour, I knew I would change careers because it was so incredibly rewarding. Prior to working at MCA Universal, I thought about becoming an immigration lawyer so I could help immigrants. Then it occurred to me that I could help the most vulnerable of immigrants, children.

How did you find your current job?

The first things that comes to mind are courage and chance. One of the mantras that I play in my head is, 'the harder I work, the luckier I get.' I never say “no” at work. I always say yes because it’s an opportunity—when you’re asked to do something outside of your regular job duties, such as going to a professional seminar, you never know who you may sit next to. At one workshop, I met a woman who was launching a dual-language program.

One of the weaker areas of our education system is that many students don’t graduate with dual language proficiency. It’s not a requirement like it is in other countries. But language is a currency in my house. When the person I was sitting next to at this workshop said she was going to launch this program, I was on board. I understand how important a second language can be, how it opens up opportunities. For children who are immigrants, it’s a way to honor their heritage and their native language as they learn the language of their new country.

What advice would you give to a bilingual job seeker who is interested in pursue a career path like yours?

What we see, hear, and experience as children can harden us. If you're pursuing a programs role with children, pay attention first to the social and emotional aspects of their humanity by showing understanding. When they are on the bus getting to school, it’s with high energy, right? Other time, before children even have breakfast, they are upset about something. You have to figure out how to interact with them, give them attention, motivate them, otherwise they won’t be receptive to you or your program.

Then you have other situations that relate to immigrant families, in particular; they are worried their families are going to be deported. They are six years old and this is what’s on their minds. So, compassion. This is what is needed. And enthusiasm. And, of course, you have to have energy.

What is a project that you’re really proud of? What was the result?

This is something that’s been ongoing, prior to working the dual language program. I named them Talleres, or “workshops” in Spanish. There's a misunderstanding that parents don’t want to teach their kids at home, but really it's that they don’t know how. I created workshops in both English and Spanish where I teach parents how to become their child’s teacher through simple steps.

For example, I teach them that cooking is a natural way to teach math. Let them see the measuring cups, how much of the ingredients are poured in, etc. When the kids are little, ask what numbers they see out in the world. Let them use a measuring tape to measure a table, lamp, rug, or anything around the house. I give parents sheets with systematic steps. I usually do about six workshops in math.

For the English workshops, I make sure they get a library card. You don’t have to buy books, the library is a great resource. The library in our community is modern, beautiful, and underused. I reached out to the Head Librarian and established a Saturday reading program to bring more families to the library regularly. Every Saturday, a teacher from our school reads for an hour, and the parents are invited to participate, too.