York University lecturer Pastor Valle-Garay of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics is the recipient of this year’s Pioneer in Education Award by the Hispanic Canadian Heritage Council.
Valle-Garay was recognized during the opening ceremonies of Hispanic Heritage month. The award was given to Valle-Garay for his valuable and extensive contributions in the field of educational.
“It is wonderful to be recognized for something I have always loved doing. It’s certainly a great honour that I must share with my colleagues at York, with my students and with my sons and daughters,” said Valle-Garay.
In the 1960s Valle-Garay worked with the federal government teaching English to new Canadians as well as advising newcomers on Canadian culture, work placement and housing in Toronto.
A former diplomat, political analyst and writer for numerous newspapers and cultural magazines in Canada, Cuba, Latin America and the United States who regularly appeared on Canadian and US television, Valle-Garay has taught Spanish language and culture at York University for the last 45 years.
He has also lectured on Spanish business language and cultural communication in the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) program at the Schulich School of Business for 23 years.