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Volume  2,  Issue  1  

2018  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  1,	
  2	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  

  
Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  
School  to  Build  Connections  

  
Larisa	
  Callaway-­‐Cole	
  
Lecturer,	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  
CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  
	
  
with	
  
Valeria	
  Huerta	
  
Blanca	
  Ramirez	
  
Karina	
  Ramirez	
  
Ariana	
  Seyssel	
  
Brooke	
  Shaffer	
  
Emily	
  Wilcox	
  	
  
Students,	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  
CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  

As	
  an	
  early	
  childhood	
  studies	
  lecturer,	
  I	
  strive	
  to	
  help	
  my	
  students	
  connect	
  theory	
  to	
  practice	
  and	
  
engage	
  deeply	
  in	
  their	
  learning	
  with	
  children	
  and	
  families.	
  In	
  my	
  Family	
  and	
  Community	
  Engagement	
  
course	
  we	
  spend	
  much	
  of	
  our	
  semester	
  thinking	
  about	
  what	
  it	
  means	
  to	
  live	
  in	
  relationship	
  with	
  young	
  
children,	
  their	
  families,	
  and	
  our	
  communities.	
  We	
  are	
  reconceptualizing	
  some	
  of	
  the	
  traditional	
  ideas	
  
about	
  school	
  and	
  family	
  partnerships	
  as	
  existing	
  solely	
  in	
  the	
  school	
  or	
  classroom.	
  We	
  know	
  that	
  many	
  
families	
  work,	
  making	
  it	
  impossible	
  to	
  be	
  at	
  school	
  during	
  the	
  day.	
  We	
  know	
  that	
  for	
  some	
  families	
  
missing	
  work	
  means	
  losing	
  income	
  and	
  therefore	
  the	
  ability	
  to	
  provide	
  for	
  their	
  families.	
  Yet,	
  still,	
  there	
  
is	
  an	
  outlandish	
  notion	
  that	
  families	
  must	
  be	
  at	
  school,	
  participating	
  and	
  physically	
  present	
  for	
  family	
  
engagement	
  to	
  happen.	
  Instead,	
  students	
  in	
  my	
  class	
  spend	
  time	
  in	
  dialogue	
  considering	
  the	
  ways	
  in	
  
which	
  family	
  and	
  community	
  engagement	
  is	
  often	
  happening	
  outside	
  of	
  the	
  school	
  community.	
  We	
  also	
  
spend	
  time	
  thinking	
  about	
  ways	
  in	
  which	
  teachers	
  and	
  schools	
  can	
  engage	
  families	
  through	
  meaningful,	
  
culturally	
  relevant	
  and	
  context	
  specific	
  experiences.	
  These	
  thoughts	
  come	
  together	
  to	
  form	
  community	
  
based	
  action	
  plans	
  that	
  are	
  developed	
  in	
  collaboration	
  among	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  students,	
  families,	
  
directors,	
  teachers,	
  and	
  children.	
  	
  

One	
  of	
  the	
  most	
  transformative	
  experiences	
  I’ve	
  engaged	
  my	
  students	
  in	
  is	
  participation	
  at	
  the	
  local	
  
MICOP	
  (Mixteco	
  Indígena	
  Community	
  Organizing	
  Project)	
  meetings.	
  Every	
  month	
  I	
  attend	
  the	
  meeting	
  



Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build  
Connections  
Larisa	
  Callaway-­‐Cole	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

with	
  my	
  students.	
  We	
  work	
  as	
  volunteers,	
  helping	
  to	
  bag	
  and	
  distribute	
  groceries	
  to	
  families	
  but	
  also	
  as	
  
facilitators	
  of	
  children’s	
  activities	
  to	
  engage	
  children	
  and	
  support	
  their	
  families	
  in	
  attending	
  the	
  meeting.	
  
In	
  the	
  past	
  three	
  semesters,	
  I’ve	
  become	
  familiar	
  with	
  the	
  community	
  organizers	
  working	
  for	
  MICOP	
  and	
  
they’ve	
  come	
  to	
  know	
  me	
  by	
  the	
  hearty	
  number	
  of	
  students	
  I	
  bring	
  and	
  my	
  “bag	
  of	
  tricks”	
  filled	
  with	
  
toys	
  and	
  activities	
  to	
  help	
  engage	
  children	
  while	
  their	
  families	
  are	
  in	
  meetings.	
  We’ve	
  evolved	
  from	
  
hours-­‐long	
  Duck,	
  Duck,	
  Goose	
  games	
  when	
  we	
  didn’t	
  know	
  what	
  materials	
  we	
  could	
  use,	
  to	
  now	
  
multiple	
  stations	
  set	
  for	
  children	
  to	
  work	
  and	
  play.	
  There	
  are	
  several	
  intentions	
  in	
  our	
  attendance,	
  from	
  
students	
  learning	
  about	
  local	
  community	
  based	
  organizations	
  (CBOs),	
  to	
  witnessing	
  collaborative	
  and	
  
inspiring	
  community	
  organizing.	
  But	
  the	
  biggest	
  intention	
  is	
  for	
  students	
  to	
  engage	
  with	
  children	
  and	
  
families	
  in	
  a	
  context	
  that	
  is	
  familiar	
  to	
  those	
  children	
  and	
  families,	
  but	
  possibly	
  unfamiliar	
  to	
  the	
  
students.	
  It	
  is	
  often	
  unfamiliar	
  to	
  the	
  students	
  because	
  their	
  only	
  experience	
  working	
  with	
  families	
  thus	
  
far	
  is	
  within	
  the	
  walls	
  of	
  their	
  classrooms.	
  But	
  so	
  much	
  lives	
  outside	
  the	
  walls	
  of	
  our	
  classrooms,	
  
including	
  the	
  stories	
  and	
  experiences	
  of	
  our	
  families.	
  	
  

I’ve	
  asked	
  students	
  this	
  semester	
  to	
  particularly	
  reflect	
  and	
  describe	
  the	
  impact	
  of	
  attending	
  the	
  MICOP	
  
meeting	
  on	
  their	
  developing	
  teacher	
  identity.	
  Following	
  are	
  stories	
  of	
  my	
  students,	
  who	
  have	
  deepened	
  
their	
  understandings	
  of	
  family	
  and	
  brought	
  meaning	
  to	
  their	
  work	
  as	
  emerging	
  educators.	
  	
  

Reflecting	
  on	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  home	
  language,	
  Karina	
  describes	
  her	
  connection	
  of	
  course	
  content	
  to	
  
community	
  experiences	
  and	
  conversations.	
   

Something	
  that	
  was	
  very	
  interesting	
  to	
  me	
  was	
  how	
  these	
  families	
  speak	
  more	
  than	
  one	
  
language.	
  I	
  heard	
  various	
  families	
  bouncing	
  from	
  one	
  language	
  to	
  another,	
  usually	
  between	
  
Spanish	
  and	
  Mixteco.	
  This	
  made	
  me	
  realize	
  how	
  important	
  it	
  is	
  to	
  value	
  all	
  the	
  languages	
  
families	
  speak	
  to	
  create	
  a	
  positive	
  environment	
  with	
  families	
  and	
  their	
  children.	
  This	
  reminded	
  
me	
  of	
  my	
  class	
  facilitation	
  and	
  Critical	
  Race	
  Theory.	
  In	
  a	
  school	
  	
   setting	
  it	
  is	
  important	
  to	
  
recognize	
  all	
  the	
  languages	
  a	
  family	
  speaks	
  and	
  their	
  preferred	
  language	
  to	
  increase	
  family	
  
engagement.	
  Many	
  individuals	
  might	
  see	
  these	
  families’	
  language	
  as	
  a	
  deficit	
  since	
  they	
  do	
  not	
  
speak	
  English.	
  However,	
  after	
  taking	
  [this	
  course],	
  I	
  see	
  their	
  language	
  as	
  a	
  strength	
  of	
  these	
  
families	
  and	
  how	
  it	
  brings	
  rich	
  culture	
  into	
  our	
  community.	
   

In	
  an	
  experience	
  that	
  demonstrated	
  the	
  selflessness	
  of	
  the	
  children	
  she	
  engaged	
  with,	
  Brooke	
  reflects	
  
on	
  her	
  experiences	
  working	
  with	
  a	
  group	
  of	
  children. 

I	
  met	
  a	
  little	
  boy	
  who	
  introduced	
  me	
  to	
  three	
  of	
  his	
  cousins	
  and	
  two	
  friends	
  from	
  school.	
  While	
  
working	
  with	
  the	
  beads,	
  his	
  cousin	
  asked	
  him	
  if	
  she	
  could	
  make	
  a	
  bead	
  string.	
  He	
  acted	
  as	
  a	
  
translator	
  since	
  she	
  didn’t	
  seem	
  to	
  speak	
  much	
  English,	
  and	
  he	
  then	
  asked	
  me	
  if	
  I	
  could	
  get	
  his	
  
cousin	
  some	
  beads.	
  I	
  put	
  a	
  handful	
  between	
  them	
  and	
  about	
  five	
  other	
  kids	
  who	
  were	
  playing	
  
with	
  the	
  beads	
  and	
  they	
  proceeded	
  to	
  string	
  them	
  in	
  silence	
  for	
  a	
  few	
  minutes.	
  Soon	
  he	
  noticed	
  
his	
  cousin	
  start	
  to	
  get	
  frustrated	
  because	
  she	
  couldn’t	
  find	
  any	
  of	
  the	
  beads	
  she	
  wanted.	
  She	
  
was	
  looking	
  for	
  the	
  same	
  green	
  and	
  yellow	
  beads	
  that	
  the	
  boy	
  was	
  using.	
  When	
  he	
  found	
  this	
  
out	
  he	
  slid	
  all	
  but	
  four	
  beads	
  off	
  his	
  string	
  and	
  gave	
  them	
  to	
  her.	
  After	
  she	
  finished	
  stringing	
  
them	
  she	
  ran	
  off	
  to	
  show	
  her	
  mom	
  and	
  I	
  told	
  the	
  boy	
  that	
  he	
  was	
  such	
  a	
  sweet	
  cousin	
  for	
  
sharing	
  with	
  her.	
  He	
  then	
  looked	
  at	
  me	
  and	
  said,	
  “She	
  wanted	
  one	
  like	
  mine	
  so	
  I	
  gave	
  her	
  more	
  
beads	
  so	
  she	
  could	
  have	
  the	
  better	
  one.”	
  That	
  statement	
  really	
  struck	
  me.	
  In	
  my	
  house,	
  I	
  



Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build  
Connections  
Larisa	
  Callaway-­‐Cole	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

wouldn’t	
  do	
  that	
  for	
  my	
  siblings,	
  let	
  alone	
  cousins–I	
  have	
  to	
  pay	
  my	
  brother	
  every	
  time	
  I	
  need	
  
him	
  to	
  feed	
  my	
  dog–so	
  I	
  can’t	
  even	
  imagine	
  the	
  selflessness	
  imbedded	
  into	
  the	
  Mixtec	
  
community. 

Noticing	
  how	
  children	
  and	
  families	
  were	
  interacting	
  with	
  one	
  another,	
  Blanca	
  builds	
  connections	
  around	
  
her	
  formative	
  experiences	
  as	
  a	
  developing	
  educator. 

I	
  saw	
  young	
  children	
  carrying	
  their	
  younger	
  siblings	
  and	
  I	
  saw	
  families	
  laughing	
  and	
  having	
  
conversations,	
  but	
  most	
  importantly	
  I	
  saw	
  how	
  secure	
  and	
  safe	
  they	
  felt.	
  When	
  I	
  become	
  a	
  
teacher,	
  I	
  hope	
  to	
  set	
  up	
  events,	
  invite	
  the	
  families,	
  and	
  get	
  to	
  know	
  one	
  another	
  and	
  have	
  
communication.	
  For	
  my	
  future	
  classroom,	
  I	
  hope	
  to	
  inspire	
  my	
  students,	
  allow	
  them	
  to	
  have	
  big	
  
dreams,	
  support	
  them	
  and	
  believe	
  in	
  them.	
  My	
  past	
  experiences,	
  my	
  service	
  work,	
  and	
  my	
  
college	
  work	
  have	
  shaped	
  me	
  into	
  the	
  teacher	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  be	
  and	
  I	
  am	
  glad	
  to	
  pursue	
  a	
  future	
  in	
  
teaching	
  children. 

While	
  drawing	
  with	
  children,	
  Ariana	
  noticed	
  the	
  dynamics	
  in	
  relationships	
  among	
  siblings	
  at	
  the	
  
meeting. 

The	
  thing	
  that	
  really	
  sticks	
  out	
  to	
  me	
  from	
  our	
  time	
  with	
  the	
  children	
  were	
  their	
  relationships.	
  
Older	
  sisters	
  acted	
  more	
  like	
  second	
  mothers	
  to	
  their	
  younger	
  siblings.	
  It	
  really	
  struck	
  something	
  
for	
  me,	
  an	
  only	
  child,	
  to	
  see	
  the	
  care	
  the	
  girls	
  had	
  for	
  their	
  sisters.	
  The	
  girls	
  were	
  young,	
  but	
  they	
  
took	
  their	
  role	
  of	
  older	
  sister	
  very	
  seriously	
  and	
  did	
  not	
  engage	
  in	
  any	
  of	
  the	
  activities	
  we	
  
facilitated.	
  I	
  had	
  to	
  ask	
  myself	
  if	
  this	
  was	
  cultural:	
  were	
  the	
  girls	
  their	
  mother’s	
  helpers	
  from	
  an	
  
early	
  age	
  and	
  are	
  they	
  ‘supposed	
  to’	
  watch	
  over	
  their	
  younger	
  siblings?	
  One	
  girl	
  came	
  up	
  to	
  me	
  
and	
  asked	
  if	
  her	
  sister	
  could	
  draw.	
  I	
  knelt	
  and	
  asked	
  the	
  little	
  girl	
  what	
  color	
  paper	
  she	
  wanted;	
  
she	
  wouldn’t	
  look	
  at	
  me	
  but	
  looked	
  to	
  her	
  sister	
  and	
  whispered	
  something.	
  The	
  older	
  girl	
  told	
  
me	
  blue	
  and	
  I	
  handed	
  over	
  the	
  paper.	
  The	
  older	
  girl	
  shuffled	
  her	
  sister	
  over	
  to	
  the	
  table	
  to	
  sit	
  
down	
  and	
  stood	
  behind	
  her	
  the	
  whole	
  time.	
  Occasionally	
  the	
  older	
  girl	
  would	
  lean	
  over	
  and	
  look	
  
at	
  the	
  drawing,	
  but	
  she	
  never	
  sat	
  down	
  to	
  draw	
  herself.	
  The	
  whole	
  exchange	
  felt	
  very	
  protective	
  
and	
  I	
  saw	
  several	
  other	
  girls	
  watching	
  their	
  younger	
  brothers	
  and	
  sisters. 

Making	
  deep	
  connections	
  to	
  how	
  we	
  conceptualize	
  family	
  and	
  their	
  role	
  in	
  children’s	
  schooling,	
  Valeria	
  
discusses	
  her	
  interactions	
  with	
  one	
  child	
  and	
  his	
  family	
  member. 

Unfortunately,	
  one	
  little	
  boy	
  hurt	
  his	
  head	
  on	
  a	
  pole	
  while	
  we	
  were	
  playing.	
  This	
  young	
  boy	
  
[spoke]	
  Spanish	
  so	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  communicate	
  with	
  him.	
  I	
  asked	
  him	
  where	
  his	
  mother	
  was	
  so	
  I	
  
could	
  take	
  him	
  to	
  her.	
  The	
  young	
  boy	
  looked	
  at	
  me	
  in	
  the	
  eye	
  and	
  said	
  “My	
  mom	
  did	
  not	
  come.	
  
She	
  is	
  working,	
  but	
  I	
  came	
  with	
  my	
  godmother.”	
  He	
  then	
  led	
  me	
  to	
  his	
  godmother	
  and	
  I	
  saw	
  that	
  
the	
  godmother	
  was	
  concerned	
  and	
  hugged	
  him	
  as	
  if	
  he	
  was	
  her	
  child.	
  At	
  this	
  moment,	
  I	
  realized	
  
that	
  even	
  though	
  the	
  mother	
  was	
  not	
  there	
  due	
  to	
  her	
  work,	
  the	
  young	
  boy	
  had	
  the	
  support	
  
from	
  extended	
  family.	
  As	
  a	
  future	
  teacher,	
  there	
  might	
  be	
  times	
  when	
  parents	
  do	
  not	
  show	
  up	
  
to	
  an	
  event,	
  but	
  it	
  does	
  not	
  mean	
  that	
  they	
  do	
  not	
  care.	
  It	
  is	
  because	
  of	
  other	
  circumstances	
  
that	
  they	
  are	
  not	
  able	
  to	
  make	
  it.	
  Moments	
  like	
  these	
  show	
  that	
  as	
  much	
  as	
  parents	
  want	
  to	
  
show	
  up	
  to	
  important	
  events,	
  there	
  are	
  times	
  where	
  they	
  just	
  won’t	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  due	
  to	
  other	
  
circumstances.	
  	
  



Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build  
Connections  
Larisa	
  Callaway-­‐Cole	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

In	
  noticing	
  the	
  children’s	
  engagement	
  with	
  one	
  another,	
  Emily	
  reflects	
  on	
  considering	
  the	
  strengths	
  of	
  
families	
  and	
  children	
  in	
  planning	
  for	
  her	
  future	
  classroom.	
  	
  

Being	
  able	
  to	
  spend	
  time	
  with	
  and	
  hear	
  the	
  children	
  talk	
  about	
  their	
  families	
  was	
  special.	
  Many	
  
of	
  the	
  children	
  had	
  multiple	
  siblings	
  and	
  cousins	
  with	
  them,	
  and	
  they	
  were	
  proud	
  of	
  that.	
  Many	
  
of	
  them	
  were	
  eager	
  to	
  help	
  their	
  siblings	
  and	
  care	
  for	
  them	
  when	
  the	
  parents	
  were	
  at	
  the	
  
workshops.	
  As	
  I	
  reflect	
  on	
  this	
  and	
  how	
  it	
  has	
  impacted	
  my	
  developing	
  teacher	
  identity,	
  it	
  makes	
  
me	
  think	
  about	
  how	
  my	
  background	
  is	
  completely	
  different.	
  I	
  think	
  that	
  recognizing	
  how	
  your	
  
own	
  background	
  differs	
  from	
  your	
  students	
  is	
  crucial	
  when	
  taking	
  steps	
  toward	
  uncovering	
  
cultural	
  norms	
  and	
  practices	
  to	
  be	
  effective	
  in	
  your	
  collaboration	
  with	
  families.	
  I	
  noticed	
  that	
  the	
  
children	
  in	
  the	
  Mixtec	
  community	
  assume	
  high	
  levels	
  of	
  responsibility	
  for	
  their	
  age	
  because	
  it	
  is	
  
expected	
  of	
  them	
  and	
  it	
  is	
  a	
  part	
  of	
  their	
  culture.	
  If	
  I	
  were	
  working	
  with	
  these	
  children	
  in	
  my	
  
classroom,	
  I	
  think	
  it	
  would	
  be	
  apparent	
  that	
  some	
  of	
  the	
  strengths	
  they	
  may	
  gain	
  from	
  this	
  type	
  
of	
  responsibility	
  would	
  include:	
  patience,	
  discipline,	
  leadership,	
  and	
  communication	
  skills.	
  
Identifying	
  the	
  strengths	
  that	
  are	
  gained	
  from	
  children’s	
  cultural	
  background	
  and	
  upbringing	
  is	
  
something	
  that	
  I	
  would	
  like	
  to	
  continue	
  to	
  develop	
  as	
  I	
  assume	
  a	
  teaching	
  role.	
  I	
  want	
  to	
  develop	
  
into	
  a	
  teacher	
  who	
  goes	
  beyond	
  surface	
  level	
  cultural	
  norms	
  and	
  discovers	
  the	
  deepest	
  level	
  of	
  
students’	
  culture	
  to	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  create	
  more	
  meaningful	
  learning	
  experiences	
  that	
  incorporate	
  
family	
  values.	
  

I	
  share	
  these	
  stories	
  to	
  convey	
  the	
  deep	
  importance	
  for	
  all	
  teachers—whether	
  they	
  be	
  pre-­‐service	
  
teacher	
  education	
  students,	
  teachers	
  of	
  adult	
  learners,	
  or	
  the	
  teachers	
  of	
  our	
  children	
  themselves—to	
  
engage	
  deeply	
  with	
  their	
  communities.	
  This	
  engagement	
  lets	
  us	
  see	
  the	
  children	
  and	
  families	
  in	
  our	
  
community	
  in	
  a	
  different,	
  and	
  I	
  argue,	
  more	
  meaningful	
  way.	
  For	
  me	
  and	
  my	
  students	
  it	
  is	
  an	
  
opportunity	
  to	
  build	
  connections	
  and	
  relationships.	
  These	
  connections	
  and	
  relationships	
  are	
  built	
  
amongst	
  our	
  community	
  organizations,	
  our	
  classroom	
  of	
  learners,	
  and	
  most	
  importantly	
  with	
  the	
  
children	
  and	
  families.	
  In	
  order	
  to	
  better	
  know	
  one	
  another,	
  sometimes	
  we	
  need	
  to	
  move	
  outside	
  the	
  
classroom.	
  

About  the  Authors  
Larisa	
  Callaway-­‐Cole	
  is	
  a	
  lecturer	
  in	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands.	
  She	
  is	
  completing	
  
her	
  Ed.D.	
  in	
  educational	
  leadership	
  through	
  CODEL,	
  CI’s	
  joint	
  doctoral	
  program	
  with	
  Fresno	
  State	
  
University.	
  Larisa	
  is	
  interested	
  in	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  family	
  in	
  young	
  children’s	
  lives,	
  and	
  her	
  dissertation	
  
investigates	
  families’	
  love	
  as	
  transformational	
  and	
  resistant	
  in	
  our	
  current	
  sociopolitical	
  climate.	
  	
  

Valeria	
  Huerta	
  is	
  a	
  student	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  and	
  she	
  is	
  completing	
  her	
  undergraduate	
  degree	
  in	
  
Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies.	
  Valeria	
  is	
  interested	
  in	
  working	
  with	
  younger	
  children	
  as	
  she	
  has	
  done	
  a	
  lot	
  of	
  
service	
  learning	
  with	
  preschool	
  children.	
  She	
  eventually	
  wants	
  to	
  be	
  a	
  preschool	
  teacher.	
  

Blanca	
  Ramirez	
  is	
  an	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  major	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands,	
  graduating	
  May	
  2019.	
  She	
  is	
  
currently	
  working	
  in	
  an	
  infants	
  and	
  toddlers	
  classroom	
  and	
  hopes	
  to	
  pursue	
  her	
  career	
  in	
  elementary	
  
education.	
  Blanca	
  loves	
  helping	
  her	
  community	
  and	
  has	
  a	
  goal	
  of	
  working	
  with	
  Spanish	
  speaking	
  families	
  
to	
  provide	
  more	
  resources	
  and	
  services.	
  



Community  Care  and  Concern:  Moving  Outside  School  to  Build  
Connections  
Larisa	
  Callaway-­‐Cole	
  

Allies	
  for	
  Education	
  2018,	
  2,	
  1	
  
https://journals.library.csuci.edu/ojs/index.php/afe	
  
	
  

Karina	
  Ramirez	
  is	
  a	
  recent	
  graduate	
  of	
  the	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  program	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands.	
  
Karina	
  recently	
  welcomed	
  her	
  own	
  child	
  into	
  the	
  world.	
  Karina	
  is	
  interested	
  in	
  pursuing	
  graduate	
  
studies.	
  	
  

Ariana	
  Seyssel	
  is	
  completing	
  her	
  bachelor’s	
  degree	
  in	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  and	
  
plans	
  on	
  continuing	
  her	
  education	
  as	
  an	
  Education	
  Specialist.	
  She	
  believes	
  in	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  building	
  
relationships	
  with	
  families	
  and	
  strives	
  to	
  create	
  an	
  inclusive	
  classroom	
  for	
  students	
  of	
  all	
  abilities.	
  

Brooke	
  Shaffer	
  is	
  a	
  student	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands,	
  and	
  she	
  is	
  working	
  on	
  completing	
  her	
  bachelor’s	
  
degree	
  in	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies.	
  Brooke	
  is	
  interested	
  in	
  working	
  with	
  children	
  with	
  special	
  needs	
  and	
  
wants	
  to	
  incorporate	
  Learning	
  Stories	
  into	
  her	
  special	
  education	
  classroom.	
  

Emily	
  Wilcox	
  is	
  a	
  graduating	
  senior	
  at	
  CSU	
  Channel	
  Islands	
  in	
  the	
  Early	
  Childhood	
  Studies	
  program.	
  She	
  
has	
  a	
  great	
  passion	
  for	
  supporting	
  and	
  nurturing	
  young	
  children	
  and	
  their	
  desire	
  to	
  discover	
  and	
  learn	
  
about	
  the	
  world.	
  In	
  the	
  future,	
  she	
  desires	
  to	
  open	
  an	
  in-­‐home	
  childcare	
  center	
  to	
  serve	
  families	
  within	
  
her	
  local	
  community.	
  


