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I have taken many breaks in my educational journey, I have failed, but I will not give up. I want to be an example to my daughters, husband, and family, that you can do it regardless of your choices and circumstances if you don’t give up.

Video of my family and I

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I enrolled at the community college and began school again. I loved it! I had love for learning again. After 3 years there I got a position as an after-school tutor. I was lucky enough to get a promotion after 2 years. I became site lead of the after-school program at the school I was at. I did that for almost 3 years. For the past 11 months I have been working at a non-profit in Los Angeles, California, running an after-school program that we can offer to the community for free because we get funding from the city of LA.

Video of my last day at NLMUSD ASES

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So instead of leaving on maternity leave, I left the position, I returned to school full time 5 months after having my firstborn. I needed to spend a few months at home and enjoy her!!!

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I have worked in the education field for almost 12 years. I began as a teacher’s assistant at a private school named, Star Christian School and Child Care. I began helping the teacher of third grade. When I began working at Star I realized that I had found my passion, the education field. From that position, I became the 3rd grade teacher (no I did not and still do not have teaching credentials, that is a whole other topic.) I loved teaching, but after a few years, I felt the need to know more about how to be an effective teacher.

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It was a big deal when I passed my CBEST and was able to get into this program. This year is a big year because I need to focus and try my hardest to get good grades in order to finish my first goal and to go on to the next one, the CSET!!

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Hello everyone! I’m very excited to be in this class and learn alongside each and every one of you. My name is Valerie Mireles.