Dr. Mayra Fernández, Director of Stepping Stones for Success Institute, is the poster lady for turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones. From a childhood that promised only a dead-end barrio life, this feisty, dynamic, multi-lingual fireball pulled herself up by her bootstraps, earned a doctoral degree in Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco, and went on to become a respected educator noted for her ability to inspire teachers and parents and their children to shine on the standardized tests so critical today to kids' academic futures.

She is the biological and adoptive mother of a total of 17 children from diverse cultures and ranging in age from adult to preschool. Dr. Mayra is an inspiration to many, from the students she teaches to the teachers and parents who take her workshops and see how they, too, can make a difference.

She has written several books on education, and, in addition to writing, Dr. Mayra is a dynamic speaker and workshop facilitator. She is fluent in three languages (English, Spanish and French), and has plenty of fascinating things to say in all of them.

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