Testimonials
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For over 48 years, the SED Center has proudly served thousands of children and adults in DC. We are delighted when our alumni and parents tell us about the positive experiences they had at the SED Center.
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Jeanette Rojas
Each time I walk by the SED Center, I smile because I remember those childhood years with so much tenderness. My mother and I had recently arrived to DC and I felt terrified to be removed from my sheltered home life where my caretakers were usually my grandmother or my mother. I was only 3 years old but already very strong-willed and opinionated. I told my mother that I would NEVER get to school, that I refused. My mother patiently listened to my complaints of why I didn't need school. I clearly remember the tears rolling down my eyes as we walked to that building because I thought this was the beginning of the end. After meeting the teachers and going there for a few weeks I calmed down and eventually ended up loving and looking forward to each day at my new school. This is why the SED Center holds a very special place in my heart. It’s not only where I learned how to speak English, but it’s also where I learned how to make friends and how to love my heritage. The three years that I spent there were magical in that I always remember laughing and learning with my wonderful bilingual teachers.
Since then I have grown up, traveled the world, and received my bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park and my masters in education and human development from the George Washington University. I have been working in the education and youth field for over 10 years. I currently work as the programs manager at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). I will never forget that little school that taught me so much and I will forever be grateful for the memories!!!
Since then I have grown up, traveled the world, and received my bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park and my masters in education and human development from the George Washington University. I have been working in the education and youth field for over 10 years. I currently work as the programs manager at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). I will never forget that little school that taught me so much and I will forever be grateful for the memories!!!
Camilo Acosta
SED Center laid the educational foundation for me to succeed. After graduating from SED in 1989, I attended the Sidwell Friends School from K through 12th grade. I graduated from Sidwell in 2002 and attended Princeton University, where I majored in Politics. I am now the founder and CEO of PayByGroup, a social payments company based in Silicon Valley, California. It all started with SED!
Sylvia Alvarenga
Some childhood experiences are more memorable than others, and thanks to the SED Center most of my childhood experiences are filled with joy and tenderness. SED Center will always hold a special place in my heart because at an early age it helped shape my identity, language, learning, and social skills, and gave me the reassurance and confidence I needed to succeed. It’s teachers are genuinely invested in the child’s wellbeing and development, and most importantly, they are wonderful caretakers.
My upbringing is very similar to that of my first generation peers. I was born and raised in Washington, DC to immigrants parents who left their war torn country (El Salvador), and came to the U.S. in hopes of “a better life.” During which time they worked long hours in order to provide me with the best they could, yet, this meant they could not devote the time or attention necessary for my development. Fortunately, in SED Center they found a resource for opportunity, support, and hope. By entrusting me to the care of SED Center’s teachers and staff, they were able to work, and on go about their daily lives, with the peace of mind that their ‘little girl’ was in good and safe hands.
I am proud to say that it is thanks to the impact that SED Center had in my childhood I am a step closer towards achieving my career goals in the area of International Development. Currently, I find myself only a semester away from obtaining my second master’s, an MBA from the University of Maryland (UMD); I obtained my first in International Management (also from UMD), and my bachelors in International Studies
from American University. I have also had the opportunity to study abroad in Egypt, and travel to many different countries in the world. Had it not been for the commitment and dedication presented to me from the SED Center family, I am not sure that any of these achievements and experiences would have been possible. Until this day, I remember when Ms. Egas would sit with me as read, she would always encourage me to read the next book, which was not hard because as it turns out, I loved reading both in Spanish and English!
My upbringing is very similar to that of my first generation peers. I was born and raised in Washington, DC to immigrants parents who left their war torn country (El Salvador), and came to the U.S. in hopes of “a better life.” During which time they worked long hours in order to provide me with the best they could, yet, this meant they could not devote the time or attention necessary for my development. Fortunately, in SED Center they found a resource for opportunity, support, and hope. By entrusting me to the care of SED Center’s teachers and staff, they were able to work, and on go about their daily lives, with the peace of mind that their ‘little girl’ was in good and safe hands.
I am proud to say that it is thanks to the impact that SED Center had in my childhood I am a step closer towards achieving my career goals in the area of International Development. Currently, I find myself only a semester away from obtaining my second master’s, an MBA from the University of Maryland (UMD); I obtained my first in International Management (also from UMD), and my bachelors in International Studies
from American University. I have also had the opportunity to study abroad in Egypt, and travel to many different countries in the world. Had it not been for the commitment and dedication presented to me from the SED Center family, I am not sure that any of these achievements and experiences would have been possible. Until this day, I remember when Ms. Egas would sit with me as read, she would always encourage me to read the next book, which was not hard because as it turns out, I loved reading both in Spanish and English!
