Hello and Welcome to EDU 226! by Cat Matthesen

Dr. Cat Matthesen

matthesenc — 2025-08-15 16:13:40 UTC

Hi everyone—welcome to class! I’m Dr. Cat Matthesen, and I’m excited to be your instructor this semester.

This is my 7th year teaching at Cochise College, and I usually teach education and reading classes. A little about me: I have two sons, Michael and Jacob, who both work at a coin shop in South Dakota. Jacob is married to Kylie, and they have two kids, which makes me a proud grandma!

When I’m not teaching, I love staying active—going to the gym, hiking, biking, and camping are some of my favorite things to do. At home, I have a sweet little dog named Ginger (she’s a Chihuahua/Terrier mix).

If you ever have questions or need help during the semester, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We can always set up a time to meet in person or on Teams. I’m looking forward to working with you all this semester!

Anna Vega

2025-08-16 03:12:04 UTC

Hello everyone! My name is Anna, and this is my second semester at Cochise College. I am working towards my Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education, and I'm excited to be in EDU226 this semester. I look forward to learning about cultural diversity in education and how to support all students in the classroom. I can't wait to use what I learn to help my students and myself grow!

Angelina Escarcega

2025-08-18 17:53:07 UTC

Hello, I am Angelina Escarcega but everyone knows me as Angie. This is my second year at Cochise College and I am working towards my Associate's Degree in Elementary Education. I coach the volleyball freshman team at Douglas High School. I am looking forward to learning about cultural diversity and enhancing my knowledge in this course.

Chris Regert

2025-08-18 20:10:36 UTC

Hello everyone! My name is Chris Regert and I have been a student at Cochise College on and off for the last 10 years. I am also an employee of the college for the last 7 years. Currently, I am working on my associate’s degree in Elementary Education. I am a father of three and I have been coaching three youth soccer teams for the last 5 years. Between raising my kids and coaching a large number of children I came to realize that I was passionate about helping and teaching children, so I decided to switch my course of studies from criminal justice to elementary education. I am excited to further my knowledge and participate in this class.

Ashlynn Lewis

2025-08-18 20:22:25 UTC

Hello, I am Ashlynn Lewis. This is my second year at Cochise College. I am working towards my associates degree in General Studies, but I am interested in Elementary Education to one day become a teacher. I am looking forward to this class and everything to come from it.

Lillian Neff

neffl718 — 2025-08-18 20:48:58 UTC

Hello there! My name is Lillian Neff & I am excited to be here in this class. I recently switched my major to Elementary Education after debating if it would be the right fit for me. So I am happy to be here now, especially in something I feel so passionate about. With this degree, I hope to learn how to support students, understand what goes into teaching in a classroom setting, & how to engage students while still ensuring a good learning environment. Additionally, I hope to establish a support system for children who have recently moved to the school system or area, so they can better acclimate to the curriculum, catch up, & feel more adjusted. This is important to me since I moved a lot as a kid, causing many gaps in my education that I had to later "re-learn". Every child deserves a good education, no matter what they have gone through. Some of my favorite things to do in my free time are to be active, whether that be hiking or taking a walk outside. I love being in nature. You'll often find me curled up outside on the rocking chair with a good book. I also love drawing, watercolor painting & I am currently in the process of writing a story. I am excited to learn more about all of you and to support each other while we're in this course!

Jocelyn Loreto

loretoj720 — 2025-08-18 22:23:37 UTC

Hello Everyone! I am Jocelyn Loreto and I am finishing up my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. I have worked as a teachers aide before and done several bulletin boards for classrooms. Some of my hobbies consist of playing video games, reading, listening to music, and Jewelry making. I am thrilled to be taking this course and being able to learn and use this new information for my major. The little girl is my little cousin and she is one of the main reasons why I got into Early childhood. I was always interested in teaching and when I would babysit her I would be so fascinated on her learning skills which ended up sealing it for me.

NATASHA KREBS

2025-08-19 00:11:57 UTC

Hello everyone. My name is Natasha I live in Saint David and have 4 kids. I am in my second to last semester of getting my Associates degree to become a teacher. Being a teacher is something that I thought about for many years but just recently started to really pursue. I took a job at my local school and I have completely fallen in love working with kids, so I knew that teaching was my calling. Right now I just work in the Cafeteria but i do go into classes and help teachers when I can. I am hoping to learn in this class how diversity brings differences into the classroom.

Lupita, Hinton

2025-08-19 00:37:04 UTC

Hello, my name is Guadalupe "Lupita" Hinton. I am 49 years old and have been happily married for 25 years. I have eight children, four boys and four girls. I also have seven wonderful grandkids who make life worth living. I love being a grandmother! I have two dogs that are like my own children. A mini Australian Shepherd named Jack, and a Texan blue heeler named Spider. I was born and raised in Douglas, Arizona. I am now living in Fort Thomas, Arizona. I teach 5th grade in Fort Thomas, which is a reservation school where 99% of our students are Native American (Apaches). I am considered a long-term sub while given the opportunity to further my education. Hence why I am taking this college course. I am eager to learn and looking forward to participating in the class. I am a sponge and ready to absorb as much knowledge.

Savannah Lopez

2025-08-19 03:18:09 UTC

Hi! My name is Savannah, and I am working toward my degree in Elementary Education. I work in reading intervention at one of the elementary schools where I live and I love it. I work alongside former teachers and classmates which I find pretty special. I am married and we have three daughters ages 16, 14, and 10. My 10 year old is my little school buddy. My husband works on a ranch, and we joke that we have our own little petting zoo of our own so animals are a big part of our lives. My hobbies are reading, crocheting, and arts and crafts. I also enjoy walking our local nature trails with my girls. I first attended Cochise at the Nogales location back in 2005 and jumped back in last summer so I am very excited to being so close to finishing this chapter of my education journey. I look forward to learning with you all!

Guadalupe Romero

2025-08-19 05:11:30 UTC

Hello, I am from Douglas, AZ born and raised. I have three beautiful children 16, 11, and a 2 year old. I hope I can learn different strategies to implement in the future classroom setting for diverse cultures in which they will feel inclusive and safe. I have been perusing Elementary Education degree for a few years now. There have been some pauses through out the years however, I am looking forward to completing sooner. I have worked previously as a substitute teacher, Head Start teacher, and fifth grade teacher. All have taught me valuable and memorable opportunities to always strive for the success of the children for I strongly believe they are the future. I am looking forward to reading and learning to different perspectives.

Kathleen (Kat please) Botelho

2025-08-19 14:42:36 UTC

Hello all, my name is Kat, I am 25 and am very excited to be in this class, this semester. I love theatre arts. I actually spend a lot of time volunteering at the Sierra Vista Community Theatre. I am actually currently in their production of “the Producers”. I’m also a military brat so I spent most of my life moving around with my mother. I also have 2 cats, their names are Jasmine and Knox. I am very excited for this class to extend my knowledge of cultural diversity in classrooms. I have lived on both the mainland and Hawaii and I will say I was really interesting being on both sides of being part of the majority and minority when I was in school. I can’t wait to learn more!

Side fun fact I wrote this introduction on an airplane!

Hayley Aranzullo

2025-08-20 02:05:31 UTC

Hello everyone! Nice to meet you all, I'm Hayley and these are my two kids. :) I'm currently working on my associates degree in Elementary Education. I originally started my prerequisites for the nursing program, but once having my kids and volunteering in their classrooms i found my passion for teaching. Im a huge baker in my free time, and my daughter is super into softball and currently on multiple teams so we are always on the softball field! Im looking forward to learning with you all this semester! :)

Diana Gonzalez

2025-08-20 03:56:59 UTC

hello everyone, my name is Diana Gonzalez I am 30 years old and I born in Mexico but around 4 years I moved to here Douglas, I have three children and I had been married around 10 years, my first language is Spanish so I take ESL classes before to start my associates degree in Elementary Education, so English is still hard for me, but I keep trying. first, I would like to be TA and after to be teacher, my plan is work with teenagers, but first child sounds good. I don't have free time, but I loved spend time with my family and to do hiking, I am excited for this class I think learn about cultures is amazing! ready to learn more !!!

Sharon Bustamante

bustamantes809 — 2025-08-20 04:38:28 UTC

Hello Everyone!! My name is Sharon, this is my second year at Cochise College. I am currently in the process of getting my associates in Education. I am 20 years old and have dedicated myself to school and my family. As a Latina young lady, I am really excited to be in EDU 226, which is Cultural Diversity in Education. I love to cook, and just be around loved ones. I love to travel, this summer I took a 12 day exploring like vacation to Mexico City, I loved every second of it. It was an AMAZING experience. I am excited for this class and looking forward to see what this class teaches me for the future!

Jennifer Denton

2025-08-20 15:26:36 UTC

Hey everyone, my name is Jennifer Denton, I go by Jen. I have been married to my husband Ben for over 21 years and we have two children together. My son Gaven is 18 years old, married to his wife Daniella and is a Marine stationed in Texas, and my daughter Zoey is 13 and is in the 8th grade. We live in Vail, Arizona with four cats and three dogs. I recently retired from the Military after over 20 years of service. Prior to entering the military, I wanted to become either an Elementary Special Education Teacher or Kindergarten Teacher and had completed a few college courses towards that goal. I volunteered in a Kindergarten class as a 6th grader which sparked my desire to become a teacher. When I was a Senior in High School I participated in a Poly-technical school program earning college credit where I was able to student teach exploring Special Education grade levels K-3 and 4-6 and much preferred the 4th-6th grade Special Education students over the younger students. Then in college I took two Elementary Math classes. I am working on AAs degree in Early Childhood Care and Education as well as an AAS degree in Art to reaffirm that teaching is what I want to peruse as a career and decide which level of teaching is right for me whether that is Special Education, Kindergarten, or becoming an Art teacher.

Miranda Wright

wrightm072 — 2025-08-20 18:05:30 UTC

Hello! My name is Miranda, I'm working on the associates for Elementary Education, and I'm really bad at taking selfies. After taking a job with child and family programming at the city, I realized that I really like working with kids, and finally decided to go back to college to do something about it. Ultimately, I'm aiming to be able to teach upper elementary schoolers. Aside from work and class, I'm a writer and a musician, and I have a yarn stash for my crocheting hobby. I look forward to learning with you all this semester!

Anastasia (Anna) Benner

bananas21305 — 2025-08-21 00:00:59 UTC

Hello Everyone, My name is Anastasia Or Anna. This is my 2nd year at Cochise College and I am currently on my last semester of my Early Childhood Education associates. I am currently 37 weeks pregnant with my first kid. I look forward to learning all I can in this class!

Valerie Bojorquez Perea

ValerieBojorquez — 2025-08-21 01:14:16 UTC

Hello Everyone! My name is Valerie. I am 20 years old, and one of the things I like most is posing in front of the camera. I was born in Denver, Colorado, but I have lived in Mexico for most of my life. I hope this will be my last semester in College so I can start at the University of Arizona in January. My major is Elementary Education. I want to share my knowledge with the kids and be a good teacher. One of my biggest challenges is learning English, as there are many things to learn. I love music and sports. I look forward to learning a lot in this class to acquire as much knowledge as possible for my major. I wish the best for everyone!

Alexia Garcia

2025-08-21 08:11:29 UTC

Hello, I am Alexia Garcia and I am pursuing an associates degree in Early Childhood Education. I was fortunate to walk this May because I need one more class including this one to receive my degree. I am from Douglas, AZ and I am currently working in a daycare/preschool located in Douglas. I enjoy working with kids and I also volunteer as a teacher at my church. I adore binge watching movie series like Twilight and Harry Potter but most of all I love to spend time with my family and my boyfriend. I look forward to learning about how cultural diversity plays with students learning abilities and their school experiences.

Nayanne Rodriguez

2025-08-21 18:25:22 UTC

Hello! I am Nayanne Rodriguez and this is my last semester at Cochise College. I am working towards my associates degree in Early Childhood Education and I love it. I have always wanted to become a teacher and I've had different opportunities to work and volunteer as a teacher in the past and currently. Some of my hobbies include playing sports, specifically basketball and volleyball, I play the piano, I like to spend time with my family and go out with my friends and I love road trips. I look forward to learning from all of you and learning how cultural diversity can help me become the best teacher I can be.

Sabrina Andrade

2025-08-21 18:41:46 UTC

Hello everyone, my name is Sabrina Andrade! I am 22 years old, this is my last semester a Cochise and I am in pursue of an associates in Early Childhood Education. When I first started college, my plans were to become a veterinarian but my ideas changed in the process. I took an ECE course and completed observation hours in elementary which I enjoyed, resulting in me transitioning to Early Childhood Education. However, I do still love animals and admire veterinarians, I currently own 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a hedgehog. I work part time at Target in Tucson as a fulfillment team member. My favorite hobbies are watching series, I am currently re-watching The Umbrella Academy for the 3rd time, I love it! I look forward to learning as much as I can in this class and getting to know you all!

Janet O'Neal

2025-08-21 22:31:59 UTC

Hi everyone, my name is Janet O’Neal. I’m finally returning to school after 11+ years as a stay-at-home mom. We are a military family, and for the last 17+ years have followed my husband around the world. I have truly enjoyed living in all the different places that the military has offered us. I’m continuing my degree in elementary education. I have a huge passion for gardening, reading, and learning something new. I’m a busy bee, and I must always be doing something. I’m a little nervous about going back to school, but I have high hopes for a wonderful semester.-Janet

Karyme Moreno

morenok253 — 2025-08-21 22:38:46 UTC

Hello everyone! My name is Karyme, and this is my second year here at Cochise college. I am working towards my associate's degree in elementary education. I love staying active, I always like to have something to do. I am very excited to be in this class this semester and learn more about cultural diversity in education. I look forward to meeting you all.