Volunteer Spotlight: Sandra Cespedes
For this spotlight, we spoke with Sandra Cespedes about her volunteer experience with Oppia.
Growing up in Lima, Peru, Sandra Cespedes considered herself one of the luckiest children in her class. Her father was a math teacher, so she always had a role model at home to encourage learning beyond the classroom. Reflecting on the community she was raised in, Sandra recognizes the challenges faced by many low income students who don’t have access to educational resources within their homes; she sees Oppia as the solution.
“I am very appreciative of my upbringing,” Sandra said. “And I think that Oppia could be that source for other children who may not have been as lucky as I was.”
When Sandra first heard about the Oppia Foundation and its mission toward the end of last summer, she joined the cause right away. In the months since joining the Oppia volunteer community, she has made significant contributions supporting translations and market research. Sandra recently organized Oppia’s involvement with the International Education Congress hosted by CONEDUQ in Mexico.
One of Sandra’s major contributions thus far has been translating Oppia lessons. In doing so, she has become well acquainted with the concepts and often finds herself learning the material to ensure she’s translating them properly. Sandra recognizes how challenging it must be for a parent to teach math concepts to their child and how Oppia brings an element of fun to learning through interactive lessons.
“It becomes really engaging, and I feel children could automatically connect it to their lives, because they’re in similar situations, perhaps even when they’re going to the grocery store,” Sandra said. “So that’s why I’m so passionate about Oppia.”
Looking ahead, Sandra is especially passionate about expanding Oppia’s reach to Latin America and her home country of Peru, but also to Spanish speakers in the U.S. Taking into account the experiences of children and families she’s worked with in the U.S., Sandra notes the improvements Oppia lessons can bring to online learning:
“Many of the materials found on the Internet could be dry and formula or result-oriented as opposed to prompting children to think creatively to find solutions and connecting math with their daily life activities and interactions — which is what Oppia does,” Sandra said.
Sandra also sees a path for Oppia to expand learning outside the classroom:
“With Oppia in the U.S., I also see the potential for an increment in family engagement and bridging school-home learning, which will ultimately close the achievement gap between parent-child generations as they learn together,” Sandra said.
To anyone interested in joining the joining the Oppia volunteer community, Sandra suggests reflecting on the Oppia mission:
“If you care about education, or if you care about families and children, consider the Oppia Foundation for sure,” Sandra said. “Put math on the side and really focus on the mission of educating children who may have fewer resources than we do.”
We’re so thankful for Sandra’s passion for and contributions to the Oppia community and its lessons.
