2024 Keynote

Bertha Delgadillo, originally from Tampico, Mexico, arrived in the U.S. at 11 facing immigration challenges. Inspired by teachers who saw her through a lens of empathy and supported her dreams, she gained the strength to overcome many obstacles to become a Spanish language teacher in 2006. However, it was not until 2013 that she could use her degree. Since then, she's dedicated herself to fostering a love for the Spanish language and culture and a lifelong and independent learning spirit among her students. In an effort to support the dreams of her students as her teachers once did, Bertha actively secures representation, community engagement, service learning & real-world opportunities so that her learners can experience success in the language with the Spanish-speaking community around them. As other talented teachers have supported her, she enjoys serving the language-teaching community by organizing and providing professional development opportunities for her district, state, and region. In 2020, Bertha became a National Board Certified Teacher, and since then, she has been coaching and motivating colleagues who are interested in the certification. Bertha has also served as the lead facilitator for the high school Spanish professional learning community sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education World Language & Global Workforce Initiatives since 2022.  In recognition of her achievements, Bertha was honored as the Georgia World Language Teacher of the Year in March 2023. Presently, Bertha is pursuing a Doctorate in Education Innovation, focusing on Secondary Spanish Education because she desires to become a stronger advocate for her students and the profession.