Melissa Guillen, the inaugural Mary Postal Scholarship recipient, is seeking an Education Specialist Credential. Melissa aspires to be an effective, well-rounded special education high school math teacher for Ventura County students on the Autism spectrum. She spent many years tutoring math to high school students around the county, so getting a credential felt like a natural next step. Melissa sees something incredibly special about helping students work through the intimidation of math and empowering them with the confidence they need to succeed. She spent many years working with students with Autism and loved it from the start. Receiving this scholarship during such a difficult time gave Melissa the confidence boost she needed to push through the intern program. Her first-year teaching as an intern was challenging regardless but throwing in the pandemic and distance learning factors raised that bar. When she was notified of being a recipient of this scholarship, she felt validated for all the hard work she is putting into pursuing her career. She is incredibly grateful for this opportunity.
The Mary Postal Memorial Scholarship provides support to First Generation College Students in CSUCI’s School of Education, Education Specialist Credential Program who are preparing for careers as special educators.
For more information about School of Education scholarship opportunities, visit: https://education.csuci.edu/soe-scholarships.htm. For more information about the Mary Postal Scholarship, visit: https://marypostal.com/