Our Mission

Begin at a single table at El Sol Academy in Santa Ana with a box of art supplies and three kids — establishing Spanish as a language of academic and creative excellence for underserved English Learner students. Today, the program has grown to 15 Title I schools across Orange County, Sacramento, and Dallas–Fort Worth, reaching 2,000+ students, with curriculum shared digitally with teachers in Mexico City, Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, and Spain.

Address the Santa Ana Board of Education every Tuesday of the month, advocating for bilingual education and promoting the Habla Arte curriculum as a free enrichment program that gives back to the Santa Ana community — then return to present original research from the program demonstrating the effects of bilingual education, advocating for greater bilingual curricula.

Two years after Habla Arte, The Lit League launches as one of the first multilingual spoken-word poetry programs for middle schoolers in the United States,Collaborating For Meaningful Future growing to reach 5,000+ youth, and distributing their multilingual curricula and workshops internationally in 6 Spanish-speaking countries. The league put together the first countywide middle school poetry slam hosted at the OC Rescue Mission in August 2025.

Habla Futures founder, Sailee Charlu is honored as Youth Woman of the Year by Congressman Lou Correa, nominated for advancing the Habla Arte and The Lit League mission, recognizing exceptional women who have created meaningful impact in the 46th Congressional District.

Partner with UCI Bilingualisms Matters Research Initiative under PhD Dr. Pena, and conduct survey studies for Habla Arte to strengthen future policy initiatives. Presented Habla Arte research at four international research conferences

Address the Santa Ana Board of Education again, advocating for arts equity and proposing a resolution recognizing the power of spoken poetry in bridging language barriers and literacy gaps — then speak to the need for equitable access to slam poetry curricula amid the community's toughest circumstances, including ICE raids. This sustained advocacy lays the groundwork for Resolution 03-26.

At the invitation of Mayor Valerie Amezcua and Councilwoman Jessie Lopez, speak before the Santa Ana City Council to introduce a bill recognizing the power of spoken poetry.

Begin working with Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua in October to draft and revise the bilingual education resolution ahead of its introduction to the Orange County Board of Education (OCBE). In November, Amezcua provided a formal, signed letter of support for Resolution 03-26 on behalf of the City of Santa Ana. That same month, Amezcua supported the Habla Futures initiative with a letter of endorsement and advice on further programming in the city.

Partner with Barry’s University Department of Economics, and conducted a study on the relationship between immigration enforcement and Hispanic outpatient medical visits. Presented this research at 2 international research conferences.

Discuss the bilingual education resolution ahead of its approval by the Orange County Board of Education and passage in early 2026.

The Orange County Board of Education unanimously passes "Supporting Bilingual Education," co-authored with Trustee Jorge Valdes and carried by two years of weekly advocacy before the Santa Ana Board of Education.

Assemblymember Valencia's office gives feedback on the first draft of the translanguaging bill as too costly. It was rebuilt over four months with Luiz Torres, head of Valencia's policy team.

Habla Futures founder, Sailee Charlu, named youngest Woman of Distinction (Arts & Culture) by the California State Senate, presented by Senator Tom Umberg.

Senator Umberg Legislative team: Mufida Assaf, Zack Keller, and Monica Wiley of Senator Tom Umberg's legislative team to formalize and finalize the translanguaging bill's language; with Umberg's 2024–2026 legislative package already full despite his large interest, his team advises shopping the bill to another legislator.

Meet Assemblymember Avelino Valencia on the translanguaging bill, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who voice support for the Initiative.

Meets Lorrie Kelling, Nancy Brynelson, Dr. Bonnie Garcia, and Alesha Moreno-Ramirez at the California Department of Education to help shape the forthcoming 2027 Multilingual Literacy Guidance.

Join OCDE's Multilingual Academic Services and Project GLAD under Cecilia Gonzalez-Limas and Dr. Nicole Chavez. Sailee was invited to the State of the Student meeting with Superintendent Dr. Stefan Bean who gave his support to the Habla Futures International Conference.

Met with Laura Wentworth, ane Weiss, Charlotte Woo, and Ramon Martinez to discuss opportunities for Habla Futures’ translanguaging research and bilingual education work to inform policy decisions within California school districts, and to explore a deeper collaboration with the Stanford-Sequoia K-12 Research Collaborative.

Meet Nirmla G. Flores of the California Association for Bilingual Teacher Education, who endorses the translanguaging bill. Sailee will be speaking to the CABTE board headquarters on September 25, 2026.

Meet with Manuel Buenrostro, Natalie Shin, Mario Snow, and Tanya Liberman of Californians Together to formalize the organization's endorsement and take a closer look at the bill.

Named a Daily Point of Light Awardee for our programs: Habla Arte; recognized by Youth Service of America for founding Habla Arte and The Lit League.

The Lit League, one of the programs hosted by the Habla Futures Initiative, hosted the 2026 OC Regional Poetry Slam, Orange County's second countywide middle-school slam, drawing twelve schools to the Santa Ana Boys and Girls Club.

Deliver public testimony before the California Senate Appropriations Committee in support of the Pathways to Bilingual Teaching Program bill in coordination with Assemblymember Alvarez.

Profiled by the OC Register on the push to bring translanguaging into state law, tracing the path from a 2022 after-school art camp to the Habla Futures Initiative.