
The Elementary Education major at the McKay School of Education is full of kind and dedicated individuals. Today we want to introduce you to someone who exemplifies those attributes, Janelly.
All the way from Oklahoma, Janelly Solorzano is a junior at Brigham Young University studying Elementary Education with a minor in TESOL K-12. When it comes to her feelings about her BYU education she said, "I want to burst with gratitude for being able to study in a university that values the education of both mind and spirit."
Her passion for teaching started young. She said "Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher. As I grew older, I knew that I could be anything I put my mind to— an engineer, a physician, an accountant, etc. but I chose to be a teacher, because education is my passion, and it is incredible!" She looks forward to building relationships with future students and not only serving them but also being apart of the community. Janelly is enthusiastic about working with students who have a variety of personalities and talents. Her aims are to make her students feel extremely capable of achieving their goals and help them cultivate their love of learning.

Janelly comes from Mexican and Peruvian heritage and is so grateful for it. "I have learned the value of diversity. Differences truly enrich our communities, and I want my students to feel that no matter what their background is, each of us can contribute our perspectives and talents, and when united, we can accomplish great things." She chose to minor in TESOL K-12 to be prepared to better teach and advocate for students learning English as their second language.
She expresses immense gratitude to her family and her heritage in how it has shaped her, "my family is very expressive and always says hello to every friend and family member, individually, with a hug or kiss on the cheek, when we are either entering or leaving a room (no matter how many people there are). This has influenced me to strive to be more welcoming, more personable and to be more aware of those around me." She loves cooking and making traditional Peruvian dishes like carapulcra, aji de gallina, Mexican pozole or tamales with her family.
In her free time, Janelly enjoys playing volleyball, exploring nature, singing and jamming out to her favorite songs, and learning how to cook new delicious foods! She is involved in serving the Latino/a community and volunteering in dual-immersion classrooms through Y-serve's LEAD program. She loved sharing a bit of her heritage with her fellow BYU students through traditional Peruvian dance at the Multicultural Student Services Fiesta.
She looks forward to not only teaching her students but learning from them, "In every young person, I cannot help but see the immense potential they hold within. They truly inspire me with their examples to be a better individual daily."
If you want to make a difference and meet awesome people like Janelly in your classes, check out the major. or meet with the ELED ambassador. If you want to support students learning English in our schools, the TESOL K-12 minor is the place for you!
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