She grew up in a small Texas town near the Mexico border, speaking only Spanish. Now, she calls Conway her home--and has made helping others learn English her mission.

Claudia Balderas Fountain has come a long way since moving to Arkansas with her husband more than ten years ago. After teaching herself English as a child, she knew that she wanted to “pay it forward,” and help others learn.

That desire led her to teach at the Adult Education Center in Conway.

(Claudia Balderas Fountain, Instructor/Interpreter) “I taught English, not only to Hispanics, but people from Egypt, Malaysia. We were speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Spanish, English. I loved it!”

Claudia's love of linguistics then led her to teach kindergarten-through-6th-graders, where she always incorporated her Mexican heritage and culture. She later became certified to teach law enforcement, taught the Conway Police Department Spanish, and now works as a translator for the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office.

It’s all part of what she says is a calling to make a difference in others' lives.

(Fountain) “Anything that has to do with bridging that gap, the language barrier--even if it's at two o'clock in the morning--I'm there. I love it. I just got to help some way. You know, it's just like breathing to me. I have to do it, somehow.”

Claudia hopes to one day have an office in Conway, so she can help others with English and interpretation on a full-time basis.

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