This month on ASSETS, Dr. Lawrence welcomes you to the second of an exceptional four-part series where we hear from the voices of our students. Follow along as Dr. Lawrence sits down with former student Monica Figueroa, who served on the Iowa Student Learning Institute’s ELL Leadership Team at the Iowa Department of Education. As a former English learner, she has firsthand experience navigating the challenges of mastering a new language while excelling academically.

In this episode, Monica joins us to reflect on her life journey, the impact of her work on the student leadership team, and how it shaped her personal and professional story.

This month on ASSETS, Dr. Lawrence welcomes you to the first of an exceptional four-part series where we hear from the voices of our students. Follow along as Dr. Lawrence sits down with former students who served on the Iowa Student Learning Institute’s ELL Leadership Team at the Iowa Department of Education. Together, they share their mission to revolutionize Iowa’s approach to education through the power of student voice.

Coming soon... An inspiring four-part series where we explore the transformative power of student voice in shaping educational policy.

Episode one of four anticipated release date: November 22nd.

This month on ASSETS, Dr. Lawrence welcomes Ernesto Mejia, a Dean of Students who epitomizes the American dream. Follow along as Ernesto shares what it was like growing up with Mexican immigrant parents, his experience working with ELs in higher education, and how the American dream can look different for everyone. Learn more about how to help our students identify their passion and chase their American Dream.

You don’t want to miss this episode of ASSETS! This month, Dr. Lawrence welcomes a dear friend, retired Lieutenant Colonel Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, a 20-year U.S. Army Veteran. Follow along as Lt. Col. Kickbusch shares her remarkable story of overcoming the challenges of poverty and being a daughter of immigrants, from discrimination and illiteracy to becoming rich in culture, tradition, values, and faith.

This time on ASSETS the podcast, we turn the spotlight inward with a very special "Meet the Host" episode. Our host and creator, Dr. Jobi Lawrence, shares the personal journey that led her to pursue a career in education, specifically with bilingual/multilingual learners. From early inspirations and challenges to the pivotal moments that shaped her career, this episode will give a deeper understanding of who Dr. Lawrence is and why she is so passionate about the topics discussed on ASSETS the podcast.

From living below the poverty line during the farm crisis of the 1980s to being a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Lawrence relates her experiences to the lives of many of our multilingual learners.

This month, Dr. Lawrence welcomes Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan to discuss universal screening and literacy best practices for English and ​multilingual ​learners. Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan is a bilingual speech and language pathologist, certified dyslexia specialist, certified academic language specialist, qualified instructor, and ​President of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas. ​She​ has spent the last 24 years working on national research projects sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and the Office of Special Education Programs.

Follow along as Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Cárdenas-Hagan discuss universal screening​ measures​ and ​their​ impact on literacy achievement for English and multilingual learners and Dr. Hagen’s path to working with multilingual learners.