About Us
Xoco —youngest daughter— in Nahual
Xoco is a positive multicultural learning environment community where children can explore, and immerse themselves in a new language and culture. It is a place where bilingualism is celebrated. Xoco was created to assist in filling in the gap for the lack of resources Spanish speaking families often face with native language preservation. Its Spanish immersion classes focus on the following: family centered and learn through play activities, and multicultural (Latin America) hands-on experiences.
I started looking for programs to expose my children to Spanish. I looked online, but the people who were teaching did not represent our culture, That's where the idea of creating family play groups came from. Although this is not something where leave the children in class and that's it. You have to reinforce it at home. This is how the idea of Xoco was born. — Azucena Bravo, C.E.O. & Founder, Xoco
Leadership
Azucena Bravo is the youngest of her siblings. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was only five years old, taking up residence in Nogales, Arizona. They then moved to Tucson where Azucena began attending school at Tucson High.
Although her parents only finished third grade, Bravo went on to Pima Community College and then to Northern Arizona University in to finish her bachelor's degree in psychology. Thereafter working in the behavioral health field, she realized her passion for helping youth. Azucena then headed to New Mexico State University where he completed her certification in educational psychology.
Azucena is a bilingual school psychologist and entrepreneur in the Tucson community. She has been living in Tucson for 26 years. She enjoys reading Spanish books to her twin boys, and social emotional books to the students she serves.
Azucena founded Mini Poderosas, a non-profit organization, and currently serves as a CEO and youth mentor. She recently founded Xoco Tucson, an innovative approach to expose families to Spanish through play.
Azucena is proof of the resilience of the American dream.
But with success in this country, there are also challenges. One of the biggest challenges for Hispanic families in the United States is how to keep the Spanish language alive, generation after generation.
— Interview and Photo by El Sur News
Collaborations and Recognitions
