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Dr. Eric Toshalis
In 2007 Pacifica High School in Oxnard California started a Teaching and Educational Careers Academy, also known as TECA. Its goal is to produce leaders and educators who will return to serve the communities from which they spring. In 2010 TECA will graduate its first class. These 12th graders are on the cusp of achieving their dream to go to college. Many want to attend CSU Channel Islands, a school they have come to know very well due to the close relationship between TECA and the CSU Channel Islands School of Education. Despite these students' years of hard work, impressive growth, dedication to their community, and commitment to becoming educators, the costs of attending college are threatening to put their dreams out of reach.
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Meet the 2010 TECA grads…
Janeli Rodriguez
I am the only girl, and I have 4 brothers. And I live with my mom, and my, both parents they came from Mexico and so they didn't have an education. So I'll be the first in my family to even graduate from high school.
Aldo Castañeda
I'm a hard working student, for example I come to the 6 o'clock in the morning practice with Soph Frosh the basketball team, and then I stay from 6th period to 5:30 with varsity, and from 5:30 to 8 I go with JV.
Dr. Eric Toshalis
All through the season?
Aldo Castañeda
Everyday of the season. I have 5 brothers and a sister. Pretty good family
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Why do you want to go to college?
Natalie Hernandez
Something that I've wanted since I was young, and I've always known since I was little, that I wanted to go to college... even if I didn't know what I wanted to be, I knew I was going to college.
Elizabeth Reyes
I consider myself to be a really hard worker, like worker person. I always push myself as far as I can go. When I have something I take advantage of it. I'm a very cheerful person. [Laughing] And, you know, I'm just ready to go to school and make my dream come true, and help my parents one day, and you know, I know it's their dream too; to see their kids go to school.
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Why teaching?
Natalie Hernandez
I really, I hope to come back here and take M. Kane's job one day... to plan a revolution. But I really want to be an English teacher in high school for sure, and eventually I will really like to teach in the community college level.
Aldo Castañeda
Because I knew I wanted to be in teaching as soon as I was in 8th grade, because I joined AVID. So I knew I wanted to go into teaching. I want to become a physical education teacher and coaching, slash I want to do ESL or special education.
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How has TECA impacted you?
Raquel Hernandez
The main thing was working with children, because I love working with children. I have this connection with kids, since all my brothers and sisters are all small so I really enjoy teaching them and being a role model, because they give us... we work, they prepare us for college and everything. They have our classes, they make sure we're on track to graduating and going to universities. And then they're even going to get us their goal, by senior year is to get us a job, through education. So it's really cool, I mean you get to go on field trips and stuff. You're like in an academy with your classmates, and you're together for 4 classes, and you guys are all together for 3 years and it makes like a family and it's really cool. You feel like you're really comfortable, and you guys all share the same interests and stuff, so...
Natalie Hernandez
My freshman year I always knew that I really didn't have a solid support system at school, and I'll be honest - I had a lot of problems in high school; whether it was with my peers or with my grades, I was struggling a lot my freshman year. So I decided to TECA their main thing was we're a support system, we're going to be here to help you and I needed help. So I joined TECA and it helped me a lot. I didn't even know if I wanted to be a teacher, because they said oh you know, you could choose to not be a teacher or you can really go through with it. And being in the program I grew to really be fond of it.
Elizabeth Reyes
I'm the current president of TECA, and I feel like it has grown me a lot as my character. Growing up I had like a lot of trouble because my parents were... they migrated and we would just speak Spanish in the house, and I remember in elementary kids would make fun of me because I wouldn't know how to speak English. So I had a really, really hard time and I had a really low self esteem, because that's always been my struggle, English, and I feel like TECA, they accepted me and I felt really comfortable with them, and I feel like my self esteem increased a lot, and I feel like the main thing that TECA has done to me is grown me in my character and my self esteem and being a leader. ^
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Returning to their community…
Janeli Rodriguez
Well I would like to come back to this school.
Dr. Eric Toshalis
To teach here at Pacifa?
Janeli Rodriguez
Yeah.
Dr. Eric Toshalis
Right back to where you came from?
Janeli Rodriguez
Yeah.
Dr. Eric Toshalis
Why?
Janeli Rodriguez
To show that you can do it no matter what. You're able to do whatever you want.
Aldo Castañeda
I want to come back and pay to the community for what it's done for me. I learned a lot as soon as I came from Mexico and I want to be close to my family.
Raquel Hernandez
You're really coming out of a community, you come in and help it. I could even like... teach at my old school and make it better.
Natalie Hernandez
I know the students here. I've grown up in this community, and so knowing that I know things they're going to and I can relate to them a lot easier, so I know, if I have a student in my class, I'm pretty sure things that they're going through I've gone through.
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Why CSU Channel Islands?
Natalie Hernandez
I want to go to Channel Islands because it's close to me and I know this area. So I feel comfortable going there, and being around people that I know that I'll be able to connect with. And also because you guys have one of the best education programs in California.
Elizabeth Reyes
I love the campus. It's a small campus, not a lot of people. The teachers would be able to have more connection with the students, because of the smaller group. Come on, we know all of you guys... I know the president...
[laughing]
Yeah, it's my school, yeah.
Dr. Eric Toshalis
Imagine if just 20 percent of a TECA graduating class each year were to go into education and return to teach in our communities? Those 6 to 8 future educators would have upwards of 175 students they would teach and interact with each year. Let's suppose each year they inspire another 6 to 8 future educators? A ripple effect is created, and every year it grows. And over the next 10 years the impact of these TECA students will have grown exponentially. As Henry Adams once said, teachers affect eternity - they can never tell where their influence stops.
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