Reyna Zapata-Gonzalez

Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities

Rhode Island College, RI

Reyna Zapata-Gonzalez, born in the Dominican Republic, has been living in the United States for over thirty years and has been a resident of Rhode Island most of that time. She has been working in the early childhood field for over 16 years as a literacy coach, mentor coach, course facilitator with Ready to Learn Providence and a quality improvement specialist for BrightStars. Prior to that, she worked as a head-start teacher, head teacher at a childcare center as well as its director. At present, Ms. Zapata-Gonzalez works as a preschool ESL Special-Ed teacher for the Providence School Department. For the past six years, she has been serving on the Rhode Island ELL Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Ocean State World Language Commission with the RI State senate.

Ms. Zapata-Gonzalez, a 1991 graduate of Central High School, holds two associate degrees from Community College of Rhode Island; one in Liberal Arts and the other in Early Childhood Education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) from Rhode Island College. Currently, Ms. Zapata-Gonzalez is working on her second master’s degree in Special Education at Rhode Island College.

Ms. Zapata-Gonzalez is the founder and president of the Central Knights Scholarship Fund. She is the mother of three children Joshua, Sabrina and Jahaziel Zapata.