About Me

Hello everyone!! My name is Othoniel Figueroa. I was born and raised in Mexico, my parents decided to come to the United States when I was fourteen years old. It was really hard for me to adapt to a whole different world. The hardest thing was to learn the new language and adapt to a new school system. I started going to high school in the Coachella Valley without knowing English and somehow I managed to graduate with a good GPA. I was not sure if college was the best thing for me because I was barely getting used to this new environment, but I decided to take the risk and come here. I am currently in my last semester here at CSUSM and applying for the credential program. I want to become an ELD teacher, I have been working for the Migrant Program as a tutor for four years and I really enjoy working with middle school students. My main goal is to teach for a few years and do a Master’s Degree in Education.

To be honest, technology is not my best friend. I do like to use my computer but I feel that because of all these media we are missing out in a lot of things. I feel that kids do not like to go out and play in the parks because they are into video games and social networks. I am more of an outdoor person. I do like smartphones but for some reason they don’t last for a long time, not in my hands. Sometimes I lose them, they get wet, the keyboard stops working etc. The only device that I like is my Mac, she has been with me for four years now, and she is very strong and never lets me down.

The Mission Statement is very interesting. I really like how we strive to focus in diversity. In reality, if we want to teach here in California, our classrooms will be full of diverse students and we need not only need to learn how to teach them but also how can we embrace their cultural background in order for them to experience a enhanced learning experience.