My name is Dr. Joanna Abramo and I will be your professor for this course! I am very excited to be working with all of you this semester.

I have been working at Kean for the past four years as an adjunct professor and joined the College of Education this semester as a full-time lecturer. My office, and most of my courses, are based in the Ocean Campus, but will be teaching some courses in Union as well.

Over the past 20 years, I have been working in public schools, mainly in North and Central New Jersey in grades PreK to age 21. I hold teaching certifications in both general education and special education and earned both my principal and superintendent certifications as well. Beginning my career as a classroom teacher, I later worked in various leadership roles, including a special education instructional coach, and district-level administrator.

I earned a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from St. Peter’s University, hold a Master’s degree in Childhood Special Education, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, both from Fordham University. I also have taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses at Fordham University and worked as a Clinical Supervisor at Monmouth University.

Outside of working at the university level, I present professional development sessions to teachers throughout our area and see private clients as an academic and life coach. I love to travel and spend as much time I can at the beach with my family!

I look forward to learning from and growing with all of you!!

~Dr. Abramo

I would like to become a teacher because growing up, I had such wonderful teachers and always knew I wanted to be like them. My teachers always made my learning experience fun and safe, and I want to be able to provide that same experience for children. I would love to teach Pre-K because it is such an important year for the students as they learn to communicate, play, and explore the social aspect.

Balancing work, school, and personal life has been a challenge. I work full-time, attend school full-time, and I’m also a mom to a very active nine-year-old. At times it feels like I’m being pulled in many directions, but I know the effort will be worth it in the end. Outside of responsibilities, I try to make time for activities I enjoy. Recently, I’ve discovered aerial yoga, which is similar to traditional yoga but done in the air. It’s both exhilarating and relaxing, and it’s quickly become a new favorite.

My name is Leslie Ramirez! My major is Early Childhood Education, but I hope to teach second grade in my future. This is my junior year at Kean and I am a transfer student from Middlesex College. Some facts about me are that I love to play video games, stream, and color. I am also a cat mom of a calico cat named Messi. I used to work at a daycare in my town from 2018-2021, but currently work at Playa Bowls near me.

My prior experience is that I had worked around kids from preschool to fourth grade, they were either special needs kids, ESL kids, or gen-ed students. I had also done my observation hours during my early years in college. What inspired me to become a teacher is actually a teacher I had growing up. My second grade teacher really meant a lot to me and seeing her care for her students and go above and beyond to make learning fun really left a mark on me. My class was her first year teaching and that is something I will always remember and feel happy for knowing we were able to be a big milestone on her biggest moment in her career. There were so many memories I have shared with her that has inspired me to want to become a teacher and teach second grade being that it was a fun and memorable year for me.

My name is Micaela Etlinger. I am majoring in Early Childhood Education (Pre-K to 3rd Grade) with a content area focus in Earth Science. I began my college journey at Raritan Valley Community College, where I earned my Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and played basketball there as well. After graduating, I was still unsure about pursuing a career in law enforcement. While figuring things out, I started working as a paraprofessional. I spent two years in that role, beginning as a one-on-one aide for a 4th grade student. Shortly after, I was asked to switch and work with a little girl in Pre-K with Down syndrome. I said yes, and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made!

Coincidentally, I was placed in my sister’s Pre-K classroom. Although she was hesitant at first (understandably so!), we quickly became the best dynamic duo, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. My sister and colleagues encouraged me to go back to school, and thanks to their support, here I am three semesters away from finishing my degree at Kean.

I am so happy I chose the path of education, and I hope to become a preschool teacher in the near future!

My name is Alicia Garcia. My major is Early Childhood Education P-3 TSD Endorsement and a Communications content area. My dream is to be a Pre-k teacher. My biggest inspirations for what i want to do comes from my family. Growing up my mom was a Pre-k teacher and I could see how much she loved it. I also am a child of 7 kids as well as I have over 13 cousins, and they have all continue to be my influences on going out and being someone who will help other kids succeed and grow! Another reason why I want to be a Pre-k teacher is because of the Pre-k teacher I had, Mrs. Garcia. She was always so nice and energetic and really helped me open up a little as I was a super quiet kid.

I've worked at a camp for the past 4 years as a lead pre k teacher. I love reading, watching movies, listening to music, as well as binge watching shows. My favorite thing to do is really just hanging out with my friends, boyfriend, or family. Being around them even when we aren't doing anything crazy is what makes me the happiest. I hope to one day be just as amazing as the teachers who have inspired me!

My name is Michel Bustamante. I’m 26 year old, my major is Early childhood education. Prek to 3 grade my content are is Spanish. I like go to the gym everyday that makes me feel happy and energetic. I have some experience with children, having worked for three years in a preschool. I'm currently a nanny. I've worked with different children and ages, which has helped me understand a little more about the world of children. I want to be a teacher because, ever since I was little, I've had a wonderful connection with them. I was also an aunt when I was very young, and I've always helped take care of my nieces. What I like most about all of this is being able to teach children in a fun and loving way to help them achieve each small milestone.

My name is Shayna Ruchaevsky. I am an Early childhood education major, and have been working in childcare for over 6 years. I have worked in schools, camps, and private in-home childcare. I also have lots of experience working with individuals with disabilities including personal experience with my younger brother, volunteer work with the Special Olympics of New Jersey, and various other endeavors. One of the people who inspired me to become a teacher is my Aunt who is also an Early Childhood teacher and tutor having worked mostly in preschool and kindergarten. After graduation I hope to teach 1st grade.

My name is Sara Barcelos. I am 23 and my major is Early Childhood Education P-3 TSD Endorsement and my concentration is in English writing. This is my junior year and I'm excited to be back at school to get closer to my goal. I do not currently work with children but I am looking forward to it someday! I did briefly nanny for a family friend and loved every minute of it. Kids are so fun! I want to become a teacher to make a difference in children's lives as well as contribute to their learning as I love to learn! I had some really great teachers troughout school who took interest in me and pushed me to be the best student I could be even when I doubted myself. These teachers played a huge role in my decision to become a teacher.

I have experience as a Substitute Teacher for the last three years in multiple school districts. I wanted to become a well rounded educator that had experience in urban and suburban areas before it was my turn as an Early Childhood Educator. My time working in schools lead me to work in Special Education Classrooms, Inclusion Classrooms, ESL Classrooms and General Education Classrooms from Pre-K to the 8th Grade. During this time, I took advantage of the opportunity and explored beyond my comfort zone of working with older grades just to make sure Early Childhood Education was the correct path for me. Every year I am discovering more about myself and the type of class I am most effective in. During the summer, I worked in a summer camp as a camp counselor. My current role is a long term Teacher’s assistant in an ESL classroom.

As the eldest of six children in the house, I looked after them from an early age which taught me caretaking abilities. As our parents worked full-time jobs, it was mostly my responsibility to be creative with their childhood and make the most of the little we had. Now that we are all grown up they tell me about activities we’ve done that I don’t even remember, yet they remind me of the impact it made for them. Even though I spent countless hours of unpaid labor, it was a labor of love, and I can’t be too upset because I made a career out of it. This is why I want become an Educator

When I first started college I was majoring in nursing but later when I started to work in an afterschool program I started to think that I could see myself working with children more than being a nurse. When my sister was entering preschool, I would volunteer in her classroom to help out and I would always enjoy it. A couple years later, I started working at a summer camp and I had so much fun working with children from ages 3-5. That experience inspired me to get my CDA which eventually helped me get a teacher assistant job. It will be my 10th year working as an assistant teacher. One of the most rewarding parts of working in early education is watching how much they grow throughout the year, emotionally, socially, and academically. I would love to teach preschool because i'm familiar with it but i'm open to working with 1st graders or even 3rd graders to see the differences.

My name is Ana Saburi. I am from Brazil and I study Early Childhood Education P-3 with TSD at Kean University. I speak Portuguese and English (but I need to improve my English). Being bilingual is very important to me because I know how hard it is for children when they arrive in a new country and do not understand the language. I want to help these children feel welcome and supported.

I want to be a Pre-K teacher because I believe the first school experience is very special. At this age, children need a lot of love, patience, and care. They are starting to learn about the world, and they need teachers who make them feel safe, happy, and confident. I believe every child is unique and learns in their own way, so I want to give them different ways to explore, play, and grow.

My dream is to create a classroom full of joy, learning, respect, and love. I want my students to feel that school is a place where they can be themselves, make friends, and learn new things every day. For me, this profession is not about money. It is about love and the chance to help shape the future of children in a positive way. Teaching is my passion, and I am excited to continue learning and growing so I can be the best teacher I can be.