Rosa Ceja

Name: Rose Ceja
Graduation Term: Spring 2017
Major: Mathematics Education
CSI3 Undergraduate Program: Noyce Scholar Program and TTT
Hobbies: Hanging out with family and friends, going out for dinner, and being with my dogs.

What is your current status?
I’m currently working as a high school math teacher in the city of Huntington Park. I’m teaching Integrated Math II and Integrated Math III Honors. I’m also the advisor for the National Honor Society (NHS).

What do you enjoy most about your current status?
What I enjoy the most is building relationships with students as well as being able to see how they grow academically and socially. Every day I get the opportunity to help them develop problem-solving skills, which is a beautiful thing to witness. The graduating class of 2021 was the first group of students I taught. I was their math teacher for three consecutive years starting with their freshman year through their junior year. Every year they matured and evolved into leaders. I love being able to see them use their prior knowledge for new lessons. Many times I would hear them say things such as, “didn’t we learn this last year,” “I remember we learned this already,” or “can we use what we learned last time.” These comments validated how students can make those connections which serve as a reminder that math is a cumulative subject in which concepts build on one another. I enjoy sharing the love I have for math with my students.

If you could give your junior/senior year self any words of advice what would you say?
Be spontaneous and put yourself out there. Dare to do things out of your comfort zone. It does not necessarily mean doing extreme things like skydiving, diving with sharks, and bungee jumping. Instead, volunteer more, take the guitar lesson you always wanted, go horseback riding, or take a road trip. Do activities for the experience and enjoy it.

What has been one of the biggest lessons you have learned upon graduating?
Family comes first! There's always going to be something that needs to get done. Most of our time it's spent paying bills, running errands, cleaning, meeting deadlines, or organizing an event. Jobs, friends, colleagues come and go, but your family is everything. I have learned that a career in education means work will always be present regardless of how much gets accomplished but moments with your loved ones are way more important. Therefore, my advice to anyone reading this: make time to visit your parents, schedule a date with your siblings, plan a trip with your family, etc. Whatever it may be, make spending time with your family a priority because they matter the most.

What keeps you motivated and positive throughout life’s hardships?
I think what keeps me motivated is having my loving mother. After losing my father in October of 2020 I am grateful my mom is still alive. Losing my dad will always be the hardest hardship in my life. Every day is a struggle to get up and continue life without my dad, but I’m grateful I still have my mom. She’s my motivation every day.

Is there anyone from CSI3 program you would like to thank or give a shout out to?
Thank you to Noemi Rodriguez for introducing me to the Noyce program. It helped me build my resume by working as a teacher assistant during my undergraduate studies. Noemi always made time to meet with me. She’s a great mentor. Thank you to Kekai Bryant for all the support during my teaching credential program. The feedback she shared was always informative. She’s an amazing teacher and role model. I would also like to thank CSI3 as a whole because if this program did not exist I’m sure I would have never pursued teaching. I love teaching. Thank you CSI3! Lastly, I would like to thank my fellow CSI3 classmates who became my dearest friends Adrianne Guzman, Keith Vaquis, Rene Lupercio, Eddie Salceda, and Alberto Pimentel. We took all the same credential classes while working full-time as teachers. We leaned on each other for support. I’m thankful for all their support and great memories. (Group13 💗)

Updated: 12/03/21