Janine Cervantes
My name is Olimpia Janine Cervantes Varela. I was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I was the fifth and youngest child of loving parents. From a very early age, my parents exposed me to the world and to languages. We were constantly traveling in South America, North America and Europe. Every trip was filled with history, art, music, and laughter. After the trips came the wonderful anecdotes that we shared with our relatives. My father was an amazing storyteller. It is from him that I inherited my love of telling stories. My mother was a musician, so from her I inherited the sense of rhythm that is so important when you tell a story. My teaching skills are something natural within me — it runs in my family. I started teaching when I was twenty years old. I taught all grades from nursery to middle school, but lower elementary was my passion. Studying special education with an emphasis on learning disabilities was very useful in my career. At home, we were always surrounded by books. At school, my visits to the library were fascinating. My love for books made me continue my graduate studies in Library Science at Longwood University in Virginia. I completed my M.Ed. in 2005. It is in the library where I feel like I am in heaven. There is no time, space or limits with books. After graduating I was able to work in foreign countries: Morocco, Qatar, Mongolia, Mexico, Egypt, Thailand and Honduras. Every country had its own culture and traditions. Every country shaped me and taught the importance to be listen and be respectful. Now, I am back in Honduras and I have a dream. My dream is to open a children’s library for low-income children. Children who will never be able to buy a book. A library where I can share stories that will open new windows. Stories that will give them hope and joy. Also, I hope to continue writing children’s books about Honduras and share my culture and traditions with everyone.
Appears in 1 Episode
Books without Borders: Building Libraries and Lives
In this final episode of Season 2 of Longwood GradCast: Beyond the Degree, host Dr. Sarah Tanner-Anderson engages with Janine Cervantes (M.Ed.’05), a school librarian ...
