This story was reported for Seaside Courier on Nov. 4, 2014.
Although Carlsbad teacher Maria Teran-Cruz, 47, always knew she wanted to work with children, her path of discovery was likely far different than many others.
Teran-Cruz escaped civil war in Nicaragua but left with vivid memories.
“My younger years were my happier years,” Teran-Cruz said. “I went to a private Catholic school and all my teachers were nuns. My later years were pretty tough. My country was going through an upheaval. I remember going to bed hearing gunfire at night. It gets to the point where you get desensitized because you’ve already seen the unthinkable…”
She worked alongside her mother, a phlebotomist, at war clinics.
“I saw many terrible things,” she said. “I saw children dying, literally, in front of my eyes.”
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