Alvarado, Pat: - Patricia Veazey Alvarado grew up in Abbeville, Louisiana. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with a degree in French and English. Then in a spirit of adventure she moved to the Republic of Panama to teach with the United Fruit Company. Later she received a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. After her 30-year teaching career, she now dedicates her time to writing bilingual children's stories and to laughing, especially at herself. Pat resides in Panama with her husband.