Today we’d like to introduce you to Shy Santiago.
Shy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Our story starts at the Salvation Army Homeless shelter, where we had been living for almost one year since I decided to move to down south from Cleveland Ohio in search of a new home and a better job.
One evening when my 8-year-old daughter Anita comes home from school and she’s very frustrated because she has friends from other countries that don’t speak good English and she wants to communicate with them in THEIR language to make them feel more comfortable. So, we decided to teach ourselves the basics of different languages to help with our communication skills so then, we started with the basics of Spanglish (Spanish and English) of course, since it is a native language to our family and we built a foundation off of that for 15 other different languages that we are currently creating the Study Guides for.
While we were in the shelter, we tutored different families in Spanish to help their children with their school work.
So, about five months later, I got hired at a daycare as a Floating Assistant and I was able to save up enough money to rent us a house. Fast forward two years later, I was currently on maternity leave from my job and was contemplating on if I should return because my newborn son had been born with a heart defect called pulmonary valve stenosis. Something that was new to our healthy family of seven children.
Of course, I chose to stay home and care for baby Emilio, which actually helped me focus on continuing the multilingual lesson plans that would change our lives forever.
Has it been a smooth road?
Our struggles have been the same as anyone else’s, no support unless you get a lot of “likes’ and “views”… financial struggles as in needed supplies to create our Study Guides which I hear a lot of small businesses face… verbal discouragement, things like “Shy what your doing is impossible” or no one is going to buy from you, or black people are not interested in being multilingual.
Also, we have been scammed by fake business coaches and rejected by eight investors that we tried to submit our business ideas to but were told that my ideas lacked depth and that I would not make any money. I’ve tried to reach out to successful entrepreneurs only to get shut down with responses like “no one is going to believe you can teach anyone’s children different languages just stick to Spanish.
What’s sad is we have heard worst smh… and then, the normal racist actions from people… but those are just the haters, we have tuned them out and we are not giving up!!
We have our seat belts on so no matter what bumps or potholes we come in contact with on this road, we are prepared!!!!!
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Well, I’m glad you asked, we help children get excited and learn the basics of different languages. We dress up in fun colorful clothes and silly accessories like head boppers, huge colorful glasses, furry rainbow leg, and arm warmers, etc. and we create a fun musical colorful environment to show children that learning different languages is not hard and can be acquired very easily!!!
We go to daycares to help the teachers learn different ways to help their students excel in foreign languages. We go to homeschools and present our Study Guides and help parents create their foreign language curriculums. We volunteer at Nursing Homes and sing bilingual songs for the residents because we researched that Alzheimer’s decreases brain mass and learning different languages increases brain mass so we create these songs in hopes it will help our elders in their last journey of life. Plus, we love to hear about their lives as well.
I know that being Multilingual is something that is not taught on a massive scale in America especially in the black community which is where we grew up and where we live right now. So, we are providing a service or what I always say we are providing a solution. Learning different languages helps people appreciate and connect with other cultures which is so important in the role of communication for our youth to succeed in this global job market.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, Atlanta is definitely a good place for all businesses especially educational businesses like mine!!!
Pricing:
- Swahili Study Guide w/translation $39.99
- Spanish Study Guide w/translation $39.99
- Multilingual African Study Guide w/translation $39.99
- Multilingual Study Guide /w translation $39.99
- French Study Guide $19.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.learnalanguage4fun.org
- Phone: (216)217-8280
- Email: createbilingualbabies@gmail.com
- Instagram: @learnalanguage4fun2day
- Facebook: @Learn4funtoday
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