Jennifer Vazquez is a student at Cal State LA studying for her Child Development BA. She is also a NSW alumni (2003) and our teacher Cynthia’s daughter. She is mentored by Adriana on Fridays.
Marcella Sidelnik is an ECE 22 student at SMC studying for her career in Child Development. She has also studied pharmacology and is being mentored by Flora on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
David Garcia is an ECE 21 SMC student and currently works teaching music for a non-profit called the Harmony Project serving underprivileged children as young as 5. He is mentored by Adriana on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Gabrielle Alas is an ECE 21 student interning from SMC with Jessica on Tuesday and Thursday in the afternoons. Gaby is interested in becoming a child life specialist working in hospitals. This is her first time in a classroom. She’s a new mother and is excited to learn more.
Daisy Rivera has studied nursing and child psychology where she connected strongly to working with children. She is an ECE 21 student interning from SMC with Jessica in the mornings on Tuesday and Friday.
Nerea Nicholson-Suarez is an ECE 22 student from SMC interning under Adriana’s mentorship on Monday and Friday. She took the Reggio Studies course with Roleen and her colleague, Ellen Khokha, at SMC and was determined to do her hours with us. “Evolution is happening through them, this is why I am very passionate about learning, teaching and sharing experiences with children.” She currently works at Del Sol Elementary with preschool children in Manhattan Beach.
Clarissa Kurtu is an ECE 21 student from SMC interning with Flora twice a week. She has grown as an educator in the care of two children for a local family. She is eagerly studying the Reggio approach and following her path toward an Early Childhood Educator certification.
Roleen’s note: NSW has had a strong community connection with Santa Monica College since our beginnings in 1987. It was in their Child Development Department (now known as the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program) in 1968 where I got the inspiration to do the work I do with children and families and my passion has never wavered. I joined the faculty in 1998 and teaching many of the required classes has added a deeper connection to not only my work at NSW but to the extended community. ECE 21 and 22 as referenced above are the final classes required for the 24 unit certificate and fulfills the 39 hours plus internship that introduces the actual practice that supports the learned theory. The students are mentored by our teachers who have earned the title of California Mentor Teacher by completing courses on Working with Adults (which is a whole different game!) and who meet together throughout the year with Mentor teachers from a variety of schools to read, study, and dialogue together in their own continued learning. At no time are the students alone with your children and they are not counted in the numbers. With the team’s support, each student meets with their Mentor teacher outside the classroom so the flow of the day is not compromised and the meaningful exchange can be focused and contextual. What we’ve grown to appreciate is the dual learning that happens in this shared process with the teachers fine tuning their skills in articulating not only what they do but why they do it. It’s a win/win and the beauty of this is that the students are truly mentored in a wholistic system where all the teachers (not just their mentor teacher) value who the children are as individuals and how we create a caring community. And. . .
. . . that Jennifer is here. . . our NSW grad and Cynthia’s daughter!. . . well. . . it can’t get any better than that!!!
Some fun historic facts:
Amy mentored Cynthia, Silvana, and Flora
Flora mentored Adriana and Wendy
Adriana mentored Astrid
. . . and the learning continues. xoxR