2005 Distinguished Entrada Alumni Award Recipient

Socorro Mercado-Blackport

Born in the Dominican Republic , for the first twelve years of my life I lived in Santiago , the second biggest city in my native country. In the summer of 1987, I moved with my parents to New York City and attended a bilingual school for two years. Then for high school I had the opportunity to attend Luster Christian High School in Montana. Although my English skills were limited, I was able to graduate in three years with a 3.50 GPA.

While in high school (my junior year), I had the opportunity to attend Calvin College through the Entrada Program. This new and challenging experience changed my life forever. I was in a class with one of Calvin's greatest professors, Don Wilson. His class was Anthropology, which was a challenge for me due to my limited English skills. Once again, I trusted in God to help me make it through and I was extremely happy with the final results. Also, my Academic Coach, Jacque, worked very hard with me and believed that I could do it. Thanks Jacque!

After graduating from high school in 1994, I decided to attend Calvin College and major in Spanish and Bilingual Education. I worked closely with Jan Heerspink. She was not only my academic advisor but also a friend who believed that I could be very successful if I continued to work hard and trust in God.

However, the real challenge of my life started a few days before my first spring break in College. On March 23, 1995 I was admitted to the hospital with abdominal pain. My appendix ruptured a few days later and I went into a coma. While hospitalized, all my friends and professors were praying with my family for a miracle. Thanks to the power of prayer and support of the wonderful Calvin community and people like my very especial friend Nora Koster, I was able to beat all odds and fully recover.

That fall I returned to Calvin and continued with my career plans. It was hard to get back to my academic life. For a while I thought about giving up because I felt overwhelmed, but once again I had the encouragement and support of many people during this tough time. On May 1998 after completing my student teaching at both elementary and secondary levels in Spanish, I graduated with a bachelor degree in Spanish and Bilingual Education. The same summer I was selected among other applicants to be a Resident Assistant for Entrada 1998. This opportunity gave me a chance to work with young people who were in the same place as I five years earlier.

My post Calvin work has included teaching Bilingual Education at Jefferson Elementary School ( Grand Rapids , MI ) and Spanish at East Grand Rapids High School which is where I currently work. While teaching full-time, I'm also attending Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo , MI for my Master in Spanish Literature and Linguistics.