SPECIAL EDUCATION

I’m passionate about inclusion because I believe all students should feel valued and have the chance to succeed, no matter their abilities. Inclusion creates a space where students can feel safe, supported, and part of the school community. All students should have the opportunity to access the same curriculum.

I truly enjoy advocating for and supporting students and their families so they have the best possible chance to succeed, wherever their creativity or educational path takes them. Working closely with students of all backgrounds and diverse needs, I’ve seen how powerful it is when students begin to believe in themselves. My hope is that by building strong relationships and encouraging self-advocacy, they leave SCPA not only confident in their abilities, but know their voice matters, now and in the future.

As an English learner, I experienced firsthand how inclusion accelerated my language development. Being immersed among native speakers challenged and empowered me in ways that isolation never could. This personal journey fuels my deep conviction in the importance of inclusive education for students with disabilities. I advocate for inclusion because I’ve lived its transformative power—and I see that same potential in every student when they are allowed to learn alongside their peers.

I’m passionate about nurturing students’ creative spirit while helping them develop the technical skills to bring their ideas to life. Working in an arts school, I see every day how the arts can ignite confidence, inspire collaboration, and open new ways of thinking. By ensuring access to cross-curricular content, I guide students in understanding how they learn best and tailor my support to their individual strengths. My goal is to help each student realize their full academic and creative potential, knowing that an arts education can be a powerful force for personal growth and lifelong learning.

I believe in inclusion because every student deserves to be respected, supported, and given an equal chance to succeed, no matter their background. An inclusive classroom allows students to learn from one another and feel a true sense of belonging.

Inclusion to me means every student has access to the same content and curriculum across campus. I want every child to feel included, seen, and validated in their classes. ...

I’m passionate about inclusion because I know what it feels like to be in a classroom where the system wasn’t built with you in mind. Growing up in Claremont, CA, I struggled with an undiagnosed learning disability that shaped both how I learned and how I saw myself. My journey into education—through electronic music, visual art, and improvisational performance—has always centered around helping people find their voice and confidence. After eight years subbing at SCPA, I knew this was the place I wanted to be full time. It’s a school that values every learner as an artist and every artist as a thinker. I’m proud to work alongside a special education team that truly collaborates to make inclusion not just a goal, but a daily practice.

Inclusion can be a loaded word. It doesn’t just mean sitting in the room or being invited to events or simply being “included.” True inclusion would mean that each student is seen, heard, validated, and feels safe within their environments. Students need to have access to their learning, no matter what situation they are dealing with.

I believe that it is through uplifting, motivating, inspiring, and supporting students (and educators) that we begin to change the world. It is through taking the time to learn each person’s learning magic and helping them to learn their magic, too, that a positive difference in learning outcomes takes hold. It is through holding students (and adults) accountable for student learning and it is through holding high expectations for each and every student, unwaveringly, that we make our world better. It is with daily evaluation (including informal learning slips/Q & A/student questions/journals/etc) and a consistent feedback loop based on those evaluations, that progress begins. It is through that progress that we change our world. I am an educator because I am passionate about doing my part to positively impact the landscape of our world. By knowing that not any one of us knows the ceiling of another, I continue to seek answers and solutions. Working with kids in helping them to realize how incredibly capable of learning they are, and helping them notice and celebrate purposeful progress is what sets me on fire. Helping students to transcend their expectations and teaching them that what they do makes a difference (efficacy) - and finding questions and opportunities that ignite their desires to know more; to do more; to try harder is my super power. It is my calling. It is why I am an educator.

I am passionate about inclusion because I believe that everyone has value to add to society. From an education specialist perspective, inclusion means students with 504s or Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) need access to supports or accommodations in order to access being included. The easy answer is to say that providing the supports or accommodations is too difficult, but students with 504s or IEPs are federally entitled to them. Once students have access to what they need to thrive academically, the real excitement begins. Their brains are unlocked and their true intelligence shines. As students learn to value the way their brain works, they also learn to identify what supports or accommodations they may not need any more or others that they may currently need. In collaboration with their case manager, service providers, teachers, and parents, they hone the skill of self-advocacy throughout the IEP and Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) process. Our students then graduate with the building blocks needed to continue to add value to society as adults, and to independently self-advocate for access to society when barriers become present.