Photos by Logan Fetzer ’21 and Liz McCue
Hometown: Crete
🎓Earned Master of Education in Educational Leadership, May 2023
📚Started Master of Education in School Counseling program, August 2023
🍎4th-grade teacher at Betz Elementary School in Bellevue
As a first-generation student, why did you decide to pursue higher education? What roadblocks did you encounter?
I knew at a younger age what I wanted to do and in order to accomplish my goals of becoming an Athletic and Activities Director, I knew that I would need a higher education. There were many obstacles such as knowing the odds did not favor me being a minority in the field and being a first generation in getting a master’s and above, it motivated me to work harder toward my goal. With the support of my parents, they encouraged me to take all the necessary steps to accomplish my goal.
How has teaching been going this school year? How have you implemented your master's degree learnings into the classroom?
School has been going great. I have 15 eager students wanting to make growth in various areas, such as athletics, mathematics and reading. Since graduating, I talk to my students about being leaders in and outside of the classroom. I have made a few references towards leaders, such as Gandhi, and what characteristics they had as leaders. I have over half my class going out for student council because they want to become leaders. I want to motivate students at a young age to think about college and what aspirations they have and start making small goals towards accomplishing them.
Who was a major influence for you during your education here, and how have they helped you?
My parents [Maria and Gerardo] were my biggest influence on furthering my education. With them not pursuing a secondary education, their values on post-secondary academics were instilled in me from a young age and is still driving me to pursue my Ed.S. and Doctorate degrees.
I want to give a huge shout out to my boyfriend, Luke. He has supported me since the beginning with late nights working on assignments or mini cry sessions when it all seemed too much. He motivated me to continue and think about the end goal. If it was not for him, I do not know if I would have finished my master’s program or even started my Ed.S. program right away. His love and support are what keeps me going on furthering my education.
Tell us a little about a cool project or opportunity you've done since graduation in May.
Since May, I have been working with Chad Holtz, Bellevue East’s Athletics and Activities Director, as an intern. I figured if I want to become an athletic director, I should gain knowledge until an opportunity arises. I have learned how scheduling works with the NSAA, as well as figuring out what to do when games cannot happen due to weather or another school event. I realized Athletic and Activities Directors do more than just working on schedules; they have to do some physical labor. Groundskeeping is also part of the job description that I was unaware of. Discovering that this is also part of the job, it makes me eager to see what else the entire role of AD entails.
Read more about Noemi Arias Saldana reflecting on her ɫ experience in the Master of Education in Educational Leadership program here.
