CSUCI Student teacher Kayla Charness leads a lesson in one of the kindergarten classrooms at Conejo Elementary School in Thousand Oaks. “When I was an undergrad, I always worked while I was in school. This year is definitely rough because it’s the first time I haven’t been able to work while in school to cover my expenses,” she said, explaining that she carefully budgeted her summer income to cover food, gas, books, bills and student loan payments. VC profiles the resiliency of this CSUCI student teacher as she pursues her career aspirations.