Careers in Teaching Resident Advisor
School of Education
November 1, 2012
“My family always has been my motivation to further my education.”
Being second generation, I am the first on in my family to attend a four-year university. Both of my parents immigrated to the United States in order to have a better quality of life. My mother came from Guatemala when she was 19 years old and my father came from El Salvador when he was 13 years old during El Salvador’s Civil War.
My family always has been my motivation to further my education. Being that attending a university is a privilege, my degree isn’t just for me, it’s for my parents, my family, and all those students and individuals who do not have the access or resources to enter a university.
Studying at UC Irvine has been a very interesting experience for me. Since I had never known anything besides the San Fernando Valley, it was hard for me to transition here. However, even though being in Irvine at times was challenging, I don’t think I would have chosen another school. I have met so many great people and have had such great experiences and opportunities.
I have been involved in the organization M.E.Ch.A. since my freshman year. It was because of M.E.Ch.A. that I became socially, educationally, politically, and culturally involved with the Latino community on campus. I was and still am a part of M.E.Ch.A.’s outreach program La Escuelita, which focuses on working with high school students in Santa Ana and providing workshops for them, as well as talking to them about pursuing higher education.
It was because of La Escuelita that I decided I wanted to work with high school students and be a counselor. Knowing that I could be a resource for students and help them with whatever it was they needed is one of the reasons I also decided to become a Resident Advisor.
I currently am the Resident Advisor for the Careers In Teaching House and Casa Cesar Chavez in Arroyo Vista. This is my first year as a Resident Advisor and I love it. The Careers In Teaching house is sponsored by the School of Education and is for undergraduates who are interested in becoming K-12th grade teachers.
This year I will be focusing on putting on programs for residents that will be focused around the theme of education as well as helping residents to be actively involved with the School.