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Sonia Nieto Urges Educators to Center Love in Pursuit of Educational Equity

Date 2025-11-11 38 Clicks

The Department of English recently hosted a Tamkang Clement and Carrie Chair Lecture, inviting Sonia Nieto, Professor Emerita of Language, Literacy, and Culture in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, to deliver a talk titled “Multicultural Education in a Globalized World: Implications for Educational Equity.” She shared her extensive international experience in promoting multicultural education and linguistic diversity.

Professor Nieto opened by expressing her strong impression of Tamkang University’s mission to “cultivate students' excellence with a soul” and its philosophy of the “Triple Objectives of Education.” She spoke about her own experience as a child of Puerto Rican immigrants receiving an education in the United States, revealing that she did not encounter the history and culture of her home country until graduate school. This realization led her to dedicate her life’s work to multicultural and bilingual education.

Professor Nieto emphasized that the goal of multicultural education is to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education and achieve their fullest potential while having their unique cultures and languages respected. She stressed that “love must be at the center of any work connected to these aims.” She urged all educators to continue learning, discussing, researching, and practicing the ongoing pursuit of educational equity, especially in challenging times.

SDGs #SDG04 Quality Education #SDG10 Reduced Inequalities #SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities #SDG17 Partnerships for the Goals

Professor Sonia Nieto
Professor Sonia Nieto
Students raised questions.
Students raised questions.
Group photo of faculty members and Prof. Sonia Nieto.
Group photo of faculty members and Prof. Sonia Nieto.
Sonia Nieto (left) receives the Panda trophy from Prof. Yi-Ti Lin, Dean of the College of Foreign Languages.
Sonia Nieto (left) receives the Panda trophy from Prof. Yi-Ti Lin, Dean of the College of Foreign Languages.