Gloria was educated in the Institute Normal of Coahuila, Mexico where she majored in education and graduated as Valedictorian in 1945. Gloria taught elementary school from 1945-1949 in Santillo, Mexico. Gloria received her Texas Teaching Certificate when she moved to Garland. She obtained a Masters of Arts degree in 1985 from Southern Methodist University where she specialized in Bilingual Education.

Gloria realized that in order to succeed in the United States, a person must also know English. She began testing her students for language and helped lay the foundation for the first bilingual Kindergarten class. Gloria also began educating parents about the importance of allowing their children to enroll in bilingual classes. Gloria worked at the Garland Evening School for 12 years, teaching ESL to the Hispanic community. She was honored in 1979 and 1983, receiving the YMCA Community Service Award, recognizing her for all of her hard work.