Lileana Rios-Ledezma grew up as an English learner in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, and always knew she would serve her community by igniting passion for knowledge in learners of all ages! After receiving her bachelors from the University of Texas Pan American, she served as a Bilingual teacher in various grades before stepping into a role as a Bilingual/ESL Instructional Coach in McAllen ISD. Her love for learning and connection to Multilingual Education, led Lileana to pursue a Masters in Bilingual Education and eventually a doctorate in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Hispanic Education at Texas A&M University. Recently, Lileana had the privilege of serving our Emergent Bilingual student population in our region as a Bilingual/ESL Specialist for Region One Education Service Center. Now, she serves her community at UTRGV as an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Bilingual and Literacies Studies Department and is looking forward to positively impacting future generations of bilingual educators.