Ishtar Rosario Medina
Ishtar Rosario Medina was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the tradition of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) between Manhattan and Queens. At the age of seven, she returned to the island. At the age of 13, her dad enrolled her in classes at the University of Mayagüez, where she chose to major in physics. Despite often excelling beyond the levels of her older classmates, Ishtar dropped out and began a series of moves across the southern U.S., all while raising her oldest child. She later relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she finally completed a BA in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and TESOL. A spontaneous trip to the Mall of America over Thanksgiving vacation in 2024 led to her current role teaching U.S. History in Spanish and Spanish Language Arts at the high school in Chanhassen, Minnesota. As a lifelong bilingual learner, parent, and educator, Ishtar brings a rich perspective to discussions of bilingual education.