I am Alicia

       Hi everyone! My name is Alicia Angela Lopez.  I was born and raised in Fallbrook, California.  Some of my interests include writing during my free time, reading books by multicultural authors, and if I get a chance I also enjoy drawing and painting.  My ethnic background is Mexican American and I love everything about my culture.  I come from a large family of eight children and I am number five “numero cinco.” I have a double Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Visual Arts Studio with an emphasis in painting from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.  I decided to leave my family’s nest in California and moved to the east coast at the age of eighteen.  I had a wonderful experience living in Massachusetts and was able to visit places I never imagined I would have when I was a young girl.  I experienced seeing snow for the first time and was able to see every season. My favorite being fall.

Before leaving to Massachusetts, I had a difficult time coming to terms with the idea that I was moving away.  I come from a really close family of ten.  My childhood consisted of being around so many aunts, uncles, cousins, and of babysitting my nieces and nephews.  From kindergarten to second grade, I went to Maie Ellis Elementary School.  I will never forget my kindergarten teacher Mrs. Blanchard.  After second grade I attended Fallbrook Street Elementary School, Live Oak Elementary, and then Potter Jr. High Middle School.  Finally, I ended up at the only high school we have in town, Fallbrook Union High School.  I loved living in Fallbrook and I loved being around my family, but I felt like I needed to move far away and experience something different.  One can say I enjoy being adventurous which is how I ended up obtaining my undergraduate degree out of state.  When I arrived at Holy Cross, I was culture shocked because the environment and student population differed so much from California.  I graduated from College of the Holy Cross in 2009.  After graduation, I moved back to California because I missed my family and the southern California culture.

My experiences with technology are standard.  I prefer to stick to the basics such as checking my email, facebook, editing pictures, sometimes shopping online, and also texting.  I try to keep it as simple as possible, but I feel that I need to jump on the bandwagon of familiarizing myself with blogging, twitter, and even creating a website.  Students today live in an age of technology and information overload that educators need to become familiar with tools to connect to students and at the same time introduce different styles of learning.  I am open to learning more on technology even though at times I can get somewhat frustrated when something becomes complicated but I try to remain positive and open.

I think it is important that educators commit to diversity and life long learning. The reason I chose to apply to CSUSM is because the environment is committed to professionalism and in preparing thoughtful educators. When I begin teaching, I want to be prepared for my students and be able to apply the tools that I learned in the School of Education.