If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Would you want to fly through the air like a bird? Run as fast as a cheetah? What if you could have super strength or read people’s minds? 

Nine-year-old Reisli Maldonado Quintero says she already has a superpower. She’s bilingual! That means she knows two languages. The fourth-grader from Norwalk, Connecticut, can speak, read, and write in both English and Spanish. 

Earlier this year, Reisli won a national contest for an essay she wrote. It was about why being bilingual is her superpower. Reisli wrote her essay in English. She had learned the language less than two years earlier. 

As part of her prize, Reisli won $500 and an iPad. She and her family also got to take a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the awards ceremony.

Reisli is among the more than 67 million people in the United States who speak more than one language. She says being bilingual allows her to get to know kids from many different backgrounds. It also means she can help her family get by in a new country. 

“I love to help people,” Reisli says.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Would you want to fly through the air like a bird? Run as fast as a cheetah? What if you could have super strength? How about being able to read people’s minds? 

Nine-year-old Reisli Maldonado Quintero says she already has a superpower. She’s bilingual! That means she knows two languages. The fourth-grader from Norwalk, Connecticut, can speak, read, and write in both English and Spanish. 

Earlier this year, Reisli won a national contest for an essay she wrote. It was about why being bilingual is her superpower. Reisli wrote her essay in English. She had learned the language less than two years earlier. 

Reisli won $500 and an iPad. She and her family also got to take a trip to Louisiana. That’s where the awards ceremony was held.

More than 67 million people in the United States speak more than one language. Reisli says being bilingual allows her to get to know kids from many different backgrounds. It also means she can help her family get by in a new country. 

“I love to help people,” Reisli says.  

Reisli lived in Venezuela until she was 6 years old. That’s a country in South America where most people speak Spanish. Some parts of Venezuela are dangerous. And Reisli’s parents often feared for their family’s safety. So in January 2022, they decided to move to the United States. 

They are hardly alone. Since 2014, more than 7 million Venezuelans have left their homeland. Many have settled in other countries in South America. But hundreds of thousands have moved to the U.S.

Reisli used to live in Venezuela. She left when she was 6 years old. Venezuela is a country in South America. Most people there speak Spanish. Some parts of Venezuela are dangerous. Reisli’s parents often feared for their family’s safety. So in January 2022, they decided to move to the United States.

They are hardly alone. Since 2014, more than 7 million Venezuelans have left their homeland. Many have settled in other countries in South America. Others have moved to the U.S.

Now Reisli is even helping her parents learn English. In the meantime, she’s able to translate for them. She helps her mom and dad communicate with workers at stores and with people who call their home. Translating for her parents is rewarding, Reisli says. 

“It feels good,” she explains. 

Reisli sometimes misses Venezuela. Most of her family still lives there. But she’s grateful for her life in Connecticut—and for learning a new language. 

“When I came to America when I was 6, I was scared. I didn’t know English,” she wrote in her essay. “Now being bilingual is my superpower.”

Now Reisli is even helping her parents learn English. In the meantime, she’s able to translate for them. She helps her mom and dad communicate with workers at stores. She also helps them talk with people who call their home. Translating for her parents is rewarding, Reisli says. 

“It feels good,” she explains. 

Reisli sometimes misses Venezuela. Most of her family still lives there. But she’s grateful for her life in Connecticut. She is also thankful for learning a new language. 

“When I came to America when I was 6, I was scared. I didn’t know English,” she wrote in her essay. “Now being bilingual is my superpower.”