Emelly Gabaldon

Hello everyone, and thank you for being here. My name is Emelly Gabaldon. Some of you may also know me as Emelly Torres.

First, I want to give thanks to God for always placing wonderful people in my life who have guided and supported me through my journey—like my husband, who has walked with me through the struggles and never given up.

I started at YDI at the age of 14 and am now well into my forties. I am proud to say I’m still connected with this incredible organization. At 14, I joined YDI’s job mentor program, where Robert Chavez, who is now the CEO, was my mentor. My first job was working in the front office at the main YDI building on Central. That’s where I met Debra Bacca, someone who has remained a strong and consistent mentor in my life—my go-to person to this day. These were not just people doing their job; they were godsend supporters who believed in me.

Back then, I dropped out of school, but through YDI’s GED program and with the help of my tutor, Mr. Robinson, I earned my GED in 1993. That step changed the course of my life. Afterward, I became a classroom assistant for YDI Head Start and eventually earned my certificate to become a teacher in Early Head Start Education. I did this for several years before moving on to work in the criminal justice system for the state.

Unfortunately, like many, I made mistakes and lost my way. But once again, God led me back to YDI, this time through Head Start as a parent with two young children, who are now 12 and 13. YDI Head Start didn’t just help our daughters; it helped my husband and me become better parents. It helped lift our family out of poverty. During that time, I volunteered as a Policy Council chairperson, and it was then that everything started to click.

I decided to go back to school to pursue my bachelor’s degree while working at the public defender’s office, but I soon realized that wasn’t where I was meant to be. At a meeting, someone mentioned the LEAD program, an alternative licensure pathway to becoming a teacher if you already have a bachelor’s degree. I came home and told my husband, “I’m going to be a teacher.” He looked at me and said, “Wait. Are you sure?” I said, “No, but I’m going to do it anyway.” Debra once told me when I was younger, “Why not try it? If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but at least you won’t live with that ‘what if?’”

Today, I am proud to say I am a third-grade teacher. I hold a master’s degree, and I am TESOL and reading endorsed. My husband and I now run our own business, Easy Luxury Floors and Tile LLC. Our daughters are thriving. Our oldest, Destiny, was a first-grade teacher and has recently changed her career back to her degree in criminal justice. Our daughter Ariana is a proud stay-at-home mom of two who also attended YDI Head Start; she is starting college to become a teacher. Our youngest children, who attended YDI Head Start, are in accelerated programs. They attend Go Girls, a program that empowers women, and they participate in MAX meetings—which are community meetings with teachers, parents, and students—and sports at Garfield Middle School, where my husband and I are actively involved in parent advocacy groups, another value we gained through YDI.

To give you a deeper glimpse into where I come from and what drives me, I’d like to share a poem I wrote with you:

Where am I from?
I am from a block west of the railroad tracks, where kids play outside to stay away from home, not because we want to play outside. We didn’t want to hear the screaming and yelling or see the drunkenness and drugs.
I am from the heart of Burque, where the kids shopped at the Family Dollar Store, not at the mall.
I am from a father who escaped his abuse by joining the military and seeing more in Vietnam.
I am from a mother who crossed the Rio Grande River, not to fish, but to make a better life for herself.
I am from the schools where teachers would push me aside because I spoke Spanish and didn’t dress like the other kids.
I am from one who saw her friends die from drive-bys, or go to prison, or slam a needle in their arms to escape from their pain.
I am from a generation where they said I was a statistic and would end up doing nothing with her life.
I am from a foundation of a father from Puerto Rico and a mother from Mexico who struggled with their own demons but did the best they could to make us law-abiding citizens.
I am from an organization called YDI, who took me out of having low self-esteem to believe in herself.

Again, thank you for coming. Thank you for letting me have some of your time. YDI makes a difference in generations, not just one person.