1Stop’s Allwyn Avalos on Language as a Tool for Inclusion

Posted On: January 23, 2025

(MANHATTAN, NY – January 23, 2025) Since Allwyn Avalos started working at Empire State University eight months ago, he has noticed a rising demand among its student body for bilingual staff members that can assist them in their native language. Allwyn’s role as Bilingual Call Center Representative at 1Stop has focused on filling this niche—one he is happy to be part of and advocate for.  

“I want to make sure that we are not thinking of a student as a number, but as a person—that we know their name, and even their background,” said Avalos. 

Avalos is Manhattan-born—and raised—with Guatemalan parents and relatives hailing from Spain. At a young age, he was starkly aware of his bilingual existence through his mother’s efforts to preserve cultural ties to Guatemala through telenovelas, church outings, music, community, and conversation in Spanish. He reflects on being a young boy and feeling resistance towards his bilingualism at school, from both peers and educators, as he was often the only Hispanic or Spanish-speaking student. He shares that he was held back a grade in school due to his accented voice and lisp, as well as the challenges that come with navigating two languages. 

This led to the experience that most underscored his dual language use in early life: speech therapy. Through it, he overcame his speech impediment. Avalos laughs, “I would be there for a while and my mom would tell them, ‘Hey, practice English but also sprinkle in some Spanish.’ She would always advocate for Spanish.”  

By way of various experiences within Spanish-speaking communities in his Manhattan upbringing, such as attending church, Avalos also learned about the diversity of dialects that exist under the umbrella of the Spanish language and complexify the bilingual identity. He goes on to recount being a college student later in life and developing a keen interest for theology courses: “I would walk into a random class I wasn’t even registered for just to help me learn about different kinds of Spanish through religion.” 

The anecdote is representative of what Avalos centers in his approach to bilingual student support at 1Stop: a commitment to meeting students where they are and furthering their sense of belonging at Empire State University through language. Informed by the challenges he faced in monolingual educational environments, he seeks to ease students’ transitions to higher education by honoring their dialectical and linguistic needs, which undoubtedly will culturally enrich the community at Empire State University at large. 

This is an ambition Avalos has witnessed on a university-wide level, even among staff unrelated to the Spanish BBA: “They are not only excited but are taking the initiative to ask questions and think in the long term.” In reflecting on the positive changes that have taken place as Empire State University prepares to receive its first class of Spanish-speaking BBA students, he shares, “I’ve seen a desire to protect them, to help them feel safe,” as they pursue academic development and personal growth. He feels this is representative of how staff and faculty are thinking through the process of setting incoming Spanish BBA students up for success, which is by centering care, understanding, and equitability as they move through the program of study. 

Avalos’s hope looking ahead is that the Empire State University community continues to hear and fittingly respond to its student body’s needs, as was the case with the creation of the Spanish BBA and recruitment of bilingual professionals across departments to fulfill a growing demand. Similarly, he looks forward to the furthering of bilingual support for students coming from a range of Hispanic backgrounds, as well as employees having the chance to welcome Hispanic students and interact with them. Finally, Avalos speaks to the importance of linguistic diversity: “When you learn a different language, you also learn how to be hospitable to others, which goes a long way.”