Spotlights 2009

When I first came to UCI I entered as a Chemistry major with the intent of becoming a high school chemistry teacher. Since then, I have changed my major four times, eventually committing to English, hoping to become a high school English teacher. While my major was a tough decision, throughout all of the changing I never once changed the ultimate goal of teaching once I graduate. That decision has never caused me any trouble at all. I’ve always had a pretty set career path in mind, and being in a classroom is where I think I belong.

My main problem in selecting my major was trying to decide what to teach because I have so many interests and passions it was hard to settle on just one subject. The education and experiences I’ve had at UCI have helped me immensely in narrowing my focus and in developing who I am as a person. UCI has given me so many opportunities to grow and has allowed me to do things I had never thought possible. Now as a fourth year, ready to graduate, I have found where I’m happy and where I think I can succeed after undergraduate life.

Coming from a small high school in Huntington Beach, I had learned the importance of getting involved on campus and how those involvements could affect my entire attitude and outlook on school and life. Consequently, when I moved into Middle Earth my first year, I jumped at any chance I saw to get involved in the hall and the housing community. From then on there was no turning back as I worked to extend my network of involvements to include the rest of the campus and neighboring community. I worked as a Community Programmer in Middle Earth, as a Conference Assistant for Scheduling and Conference Services, as a Campus Representative giving campus tours, and as a House Assistant for the Careers in Teaching House in Arroyo Vista. I’ve become a member of a number of other organizations such as the Teachers of Tomorrow Club where I’ve served as the Activities Chair, Alpha Chi Omega, the greek honors society Order of Omega, ASUCI as a films intern, and as a Peer Mentor for the Center for International Education. The main thing all of these involvements have in common is that they all allow me to work with other groups of students or families and act as a leader for these groups.

While I have learned something new and significant from each of these activities, I think my time as a House Assistant and as an officer of the Teachers of Tomorrow Club have allowed me to grow the most. In taking on the responsibilities of these positions I’ve learned to plan events, run meetings, organize service projects, act as a mentor, and, most importantly, be a true authoritative figure to these other students. I’ve become more aware of my own leadership style, knowledge which I know will be useful in a career as a teacher. These involvements have taught me about the importance of getting to know the students I’m working with so that I can lead and serve them in the best way possible. This too will be necessary in the future years. Throughout my four years at UCI I have learned to love being “in charge,” something I had always questioned. Yet taking on leadership roles on campus and taking on these responsibilities have helped confirm my desire to teach and my belief that this is the career for me.

I am thankful for the time I’ve had here and the opportunities I’ve been given. I’m also very thankful to the people who have supported me throughout it all and would not be where I am today without them. Right now I look forward to graduating and making the next step towards becoming a teacher and the new adventures and opportunities it will offer. I’ve wanted this for a long time now, and I am ready!