A Taste of the Latino Community in a BT Classroom

By: Jenny K. '15
This Tuesday the 10th grade Spanish classes gained a unique perspective on Hispanic life. Judge Ricardo Zwaig, the first Hispanic male to serve in the Maryland Judiciary, gave the students a firsthand account of life in Argentina and his experience as a Spanish immigrant. 

Growing up in the 1950s, Zwaig witnessed one of Argentina’s worst periods of political and economic turmoil. Commenting on the increase in Argentina’s level of anti-Semitism during the fifties, Zwaig described his experience of growing up Jewish during this time period. After mentioning the various kosher restaurants available to the 250,000 Jews currently residing in Buenos Aires, Zwaig went on to explain how he retained his Spanish after moving to the United States at age ten. Lastly, Zwaig addressed his adjustment into American culture and the efforts he made to succeed to the judiciary.

Judge Zwaig, however, is not the first in the series of speakers from the Spanish department. Early last week, Diana Beese, a Spanish interpreter for the Baltimore court system, also came to talk to the students. Ms. Beese enthusiastically spoke about her origins in Puerto Rico, immigration to America, and implementation of Spanish for work.

Overall, these speakers are part of a new approach to expose the students to Spanish culture. Jennifer M. ’15, who, along with the Spanish department, played a huge role in organizing these opportunities, commented that she was “glad we could bring a taste of the Latin community to a BT classroom. It is very important to hear about Latin America firsthand rather than just reading about it from a textbook. I think everyone really enjoyed the visits and I hope this ‘speaker series’ will continue in the coming years.”