B.A. in European Studies, 2011; Master of Arts in Teaching, 2013
School of Education
August 1, 2013
“I am proud to be a triple alumna from the same university.”
Tibisay Moreno is the daughter of immigrant parents. Her mother is Chinese, born in the United States, but raised in Venezuela. Meanwhile, her father, who has Italian ancestry, was born and raised in Colombia. Tibisay’s parents immigrated to the United States in order to pursue higher education. They became the first members of their families to obtain a bachelor’s degree. As Tibisay comments, “It is no wonder that my parents pushed their children to work hard in school.
Tibisay attended the University of California, Irvine (UCI) where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in European Studies, and minors in Education, Spanish, and Art History. She later completed the UC Irvine teaching credential program in history and obtained an additional credential in Spanish. Recently, she finished her Master’s of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree.
I am proud to be a triple alumni from the same university. Zot, zot, zot!
During her undergraduate years, Tibisay worked as a laboratory assistant for Dr. Stephanie Reich’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)-funded Baby Books Project, a study about the effectiveness of embedding educational information in baby books as a mechanism for improving maternal and child health.
In her senior year, Tibisay submitted a proposal to the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) to examine a subset of data from the Baby Books Project in order to qualitatively analyze the literary experiences of children in the first 18 months of life, and how these literacy activities in the home are culturally defined. She later presented her findings at the UROP symposium, as well as at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Symposium in Montreal, Canada.
After graduation, Tibisay entered the teaching credential program to learn how to become a teacher, specifically in history. She attended Bruce Baron’s class and considers herself to be a “Baronite.” His emphasis on developing historiographies and creating cognitive dissonance has resonated with her during her student teaching experience at Newhart Middle School in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD). With an additional credential in Spanish, Tibisay has met with M.C. Henderson who has graciously offered to share her wisdom about the art of teaching language. Tibisay plans to observe her methods course this coming academic year.
At the end of the M.A.T. program, Tibisay and her research partners (Linda, Deborah, Kristin, and Alexandria) presented their action plan research—Improving Reading Comprehension of Informational Texts for English Language Learners: The Impact of the iPad—to Lecturers Dr. David Hernandez and Dr. Vanitha Chandrasekhar and received positive feedback.
Tibisay currently works at California Preparatory Academy, an online-blended learning school within CUSD, as a high school Spanish teacher. She enjoys learning about and effectively implementing digital tools in both the physical and virtual classroom. She is thankful to her colleagues and her BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) mentor for their support during her first year.
Outside of academics, Tibisay likes to travel, especially to Europe, and visit museums and historical sites. She also volunteers with her sister Kiara as AYSO soccer coaches for young boys and girls. Most importantly, she enjoys spending time with her family.
Without their love and support, I would not be the young lady that I am today.