Changing My Major

I started out as a EC-6 Generalist major, but I had a change of heart, literally. Someone very close to me child was diagnosed with Autism. I was heartbroken, so I could only imagine how that mother felt, but one of my mentors asked me why I was so upset or why I felt as if the child's life was over. It got me thinking, "Why did I automatically assume that the child's life was doomed for or over?" The child is still living and breathing and I was upset as if the child passed away. So it really got me thinking about the world's perception of special needs students. So began to look into different programs and things offered for special needs students and was amazed at the things that are actually out there for them. Last year, my high school asked me to help them with their Special Olympics, and I did. I loved it. Just to see their faces light up and to be having fun regardless of their disability or handicap was an amazing sight for me. The next semester I changed my major to Special Education.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Duncanville-High-School-Special-Olympics/199010510135120

Where I Would Like to be

Becoming an educator has been a dream of mine since I first attended school and became my 1st grade teacher's assistant. Right away I knew this was something I wanted to do. The women I look up to and model myself after them. I strive to be the best educator I know. I plan to graduate from Prairie View A&M University in Spring 2015 with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies. Who would think that goal would be hard to attain, I did not. In collaboration with my degree, I plan to have at least three certification, Special Education, EC-6 Gen, and ESL.  I feel as if people are still stuck in the early 1900s and not realizing how much my field has grown. We are no longer giving Special Education students arts and crafts projects to keep them quiet; we are far from that. I do not want to limit myself in my career, even though I do not aim to someday reach the administer level, but I do feel there are other ways to reach the top in my career field. I also want to bring more awareness and understanding to the Special Education field.