She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and came to the United States in 2001 with her first two children, and her next two were born here.  Her greatest pride since arriving in this country is that all her children are bilingual.

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“I love Spanish, I love my country, and I wanted my children to not lose it. Language transmits identity and culture, and I am proud to have preserved that in our family.”  She founded her Spanish school, Educating America, here in Broward in September 2004.  She has been one of our writers for more than 20 years.

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This month in “Every Hispanic Immigrant Has Their Story,” we present the story of Mercedes Soledad Moresco, who studied Literature for five years at the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) and worked as a literature professor in her native Argentina. She has also been one of our writers for over 20 years.

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How did he develop his passion for language and literature?

From a very young age, I felt a great passion for books and stories. My mother introduced me to the Robin Hood collection, very popular in my generation, with characters like the pirate Sandokan and the Tigers of Malaysia. According to my mother, my love for books began even before I could walk.

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Why are they moving to the United States?

At the end of 2000, my husband was working for the Wendy's fast-food chain. The company closed its operations in Argentina, and they offered him a position with the US corporation, which was impossible to refuse. We moved in 2001 with our two young children, and I was pregnant with my third child. Later, we had our youngest daughter.

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Who has influenced her the most?

As a young woman, a high school literature teacher was a key figure in my life, introducing me to the great names in literature. She was an exemplary teacher, principal, and headmistress. Her name is Nene Pastor, and I will be eternally grateful to her. As a writer, I have been influenced by authors who still have a place in my library today: Julio Cortázar as a novelist and Alejandra Pizarnik as a poet.

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What motivates you in your work?

At Educating America, I'm motivated by learning itself. Seeing how students progress, how to improve teaching strategies, and how I also learn from them every day—that's what I'm deeply passionate about.

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What was your first job in your home country?

At Esquiu School, as a literature teacher. The headmistress at that time was Nene Pastor. I was 23 years old when she called me to create a new subject: a literary workshop for fifth-year students, 17-year-old kids.

How do you see the needs in your community where you currently reside?

I still believe there needs to be more Spanish. There are many children of Spanish-speaking families who don't speak the language. It remains a significant need in our community.

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What professional advice would you give?

The same advice I always give my children: Study what you love. Today, many young people choose careers only thinking about money, but true success comes when there is passion.

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What does he do in his free time?

I really enjoy sports, especially playing tennis, which I'm currently practicing quite intensely. I also love to dance, sing, and, of course, read.

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What do you do in your daily work?

I get up very early and use the early morning hours to write. These are the moments when I can be with myself and make some progress, even if just a little. Then the intense pace of the day begins: work, school, classes. The Educating America Spanish School is fundamental in my life, and I dedicate practically all day to it. I stay active through sports and my daily life.

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What has been your greatest source of pride since arriving in the United States?

Without a doubt, my greatest achievement has been raising my children to be bilingual. They arrived very young, and back then, more than 20 years ago, Spanish wasn't taught much in schools. They learned English very quickly and started speaking it among themselves. For me, that was something I couldn't allow. I love Spanish, I love my country and my culture, and I didn't want them to lose it. Language also transmits identity and culture, and I feel deeply proud to have preserved that in our family.

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 And to close our interview, Mercedes told us that one of her proudest moments was when her youngest daughter, Luz, born here in 2006, received the Bilingualism Medal at school. “I felt I had fulfilled my mission of raising my four children to be bilingual,” she said.

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De América is concerned that it remains a monolingual country and that they still don't realize the strength and importance that Spanish is having in the country and how important it is to speak two languages.

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He considers himself very sentimental. “As one gets older, one realizes the path one has taken in life and the important things that lie within it. 

“I don’t think I would ever undo anything in my life. What’s done is done, and I wouldn’t go back. You learn from everything, from everything.”