Ruth Nicasio moved from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. just before 11th grade.

But immigrating to a new country required her to learn a new language, and she was encouraged to start her freshman year again in order to study and perfect her English.

“Emotionally, that affected me a lot,” Ruth said. “I used to think about my classmates in the D.R. Over there, they were almost going to college, and I was here starting high school again.”

Looking back, Ruth is glad she made this decision. She is now a teacher at the Drew Hamilton Early Childhood Center in the Bronx and is in the process of obtaining a master’s degree. Her journey to becoming a teacher wasn’t a linear one, but her early experiences equipped her with the skills to empathize with the students she teaches.

After finishing her associate’s degree at City College, Ruth decided to attend Lehman College for nursing. But a difficult chemistry class made her realize that nursing was not the right fit.

Instead, she graduated with a degree in health education and promotion. After graduation, she began a job search that left her frustrated.

“I was looking into jobs, but most of them require two years of experience. I remembered that one of my high school teachers was in Teach for America,” she said. “At the time, I just wanted a stable job, and teaching sounded good for the moment.”

Ruth also had a personal connection to teaching. Her mother was a teacher in the Dominican Republic for 11 years. She remembered watching her create lesson plans and understanding the impact that a good teacher can have on a child.

In April 2020, Ruth began her journey as a Teach for America corps member. In September, she accepted an offer from Children’s Aid to be a lead teacher at the Drew Hamilton Early Childhood Center.

“At the beginning, I didn’t want to teach pre-K,” she said. “I’m teaching them to be good listeners, to share, to take turns, to follow instructions, but I didn’t want to do that. What I wanted to do was get in front of the class and say, ‘Today, we are going to learn history.’”

But slowly, her opinion started to change. Ruth realized the impact she had on her students – and the impact they had on her.

“It teaches you so many skills you need in life,” she said. “You have to be patient with yourself and with the students. You have to keep them engaged. Each student has a different personality, different needs, and different activities that they like. Understanding that and supporting them in different ways is just amazing.”

Ruth’s classroom reflects the rest of New York City, with students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Her experience as an immigrant learning a new language prepared her to relate to her class.

A young student from Egypt, whose family speaks Arabic at home, had a hard time adjusting to the new environment.

“Sometimes, when we’re having conversation or when she wants something, she will get overwhelmed because she doesn’t have the vocabulary to convey that idea,” Ruth said. “I was there when I was learning English.”

Ruth knew to spend more time with her on language and literacy, and she constantly reassured her that it was OK to feel frustrated and not to have all the answers.

Another student, who only responded to Ruth’s questions with one word answers last year, began to use full sentences after she worked with him on his communication skills.

Ruth has also seen an improvement in her confidence as a teacher. She struggled in the beginning but the relationships she fostered with her students and fellow teachers proved to her that she was ready for the job.

“What I have learned from other teachers is just to be present, to be there for your student,” she said. “You don’t know how much of an impact you have in that student’s life until the end of the school year, when you’re able to see that one student who didn’t have the language to have a full conversation with an adult, and at end of the year, they are able to use full sentences.”

Ruth will finish the Teach for America program and obtain her master’s degree this summer. Her time at Children’s Aid has inspired her to create new plans and goals for herself.

“At the beginning I didn’t know that I had what it takes, but I do have it,” she said. “I have so many goals and dreams. I see myself going bigger and bigger – maybe into [school] administration. I have the passion to look for ways to make the center a better learning center for our students and our community.