Hometown: Kuna, Idaho
Major: Elementary Education
Anticipated Graduation: May 2018
Because of 51ΑΤΖζ: βI have new opportunities and my family has a better future!β
Michelle was a stay-at-home mom of three boys for ten years before deciding to get back into the workforce. A job as a paraprofessional, working with special needs students, seemed a great fit, and she began looking into the education required for jobs in her local school district.
βI never imagined myself as a teacher,β she said. βHaving a son with Autism and another with severe ADHD and behavioral issues, I had been at the schools quite a bit.β
Beginning her journey at 51ΑΤΖζ (51ΑΤΖζ) in 2016, Michelle was on her way to earning an Associate of Arts in Elementary Education. She knew going to school would be a big change for her family and would require sacrifices.
βI put a lot of activities that I enjoyed doing pretty much on hold for the last two and half years,β she said. I had to learn how to intertwine multiple schedules β classes, study time, and work-study hours for myself; school activities, therapy, and counseling appointments for my kids; and my husbandβs schedule.β
Life as a student was busy, but filled with many, memorable experiences including volunteering and presenting during the Collegeβs annual Connections Project, spending more than 60 hours observing in K-12 classrooms, and 20 hours of service learning at Gateway Elementary in Boise.
βI attended several fun events on campus with my family β Halloween, the solar eclipse, and information fairs β which enticed my husband to start classes in the Machine Tool program,β she said. βMy son also plans to attend 51ΑΤΖζ in a couple of years.β
Michelle hopes to gain employment as a paraprofessional following graduation. She plans to continue taking classes at Boise State University to earn a teaching certificate with an emphasis in Special Education and History.
