As one of eight immigrant Mexican parents, who hold a 3rd grade education level, Cardona couldn’t afford four years of college. To make ends meet, she worked for four years at an insurance company as an administrative assistant. She wanted to be a teacher, but didn’t know how she would get there.

She heard that Cerritos College was starting a program called the “Teacher TRaining ACademy (TRAC)” that partnered Cerritos College with California State University Long Beach (CSULB) for students interested in becoming elementary school teachers. The standards-based model allows students to earn their bachelor's degree, complete their multiple subject teaching credentials and finish their student teaching within four years.

“I chose Cerritos College because of practical reasons,” said Cardona. “It was close to where I lived and offered flexible classes for my schedule.”

Married with two children, Cardona needed a flexible class schedule that enabled her to still work and be a mother. Enrolling in Teacher TRAC, she was able to be in the classroom training to fulfill her dream of leading a classroom someday while also providing support for her family.

“Despite all obstacles I continued my education,” said Cardona. “I attended college through the pregnancy of my two children and my husband was sent to war during my last semester of college while I was student teaching and taking classes.”

With Teacher TRAC, students build professional portfolios that help them in their university careers, and in later job interviews and lesson plans. In addition to coursework, TRAC students observe and participate in fieldwork prior to their student teaching. They participate in 10 hours of observation experience as part of their first education course, and complete 40 of the state-required 120 hours of field experience as part of their second course.

“While Jackie was a student here, she strove to perform her best in everything,“ said Sue Parsons, director of Teacher TRAC, who continues to keep in contact with Cardona as well as other graduates. “She had a passion for teaching that you could see as she dedicated time and energy to succeeding in Teacher TRAC.”

“I was more than prepared from what I learned at Cerritos College to attend Cal State Long Beach,” said Cardona, as she reflected on how Cerritos College had equipped her for not only CSULB but her entire career of teaching.
 
After graduating from CSULB with her teaching credentials, Cardona obtained a teaching job back in the same city she’d started.  She now stands in the front of her classroom challenging her students to reach beyond their own difficulties and succeed.

“I love the part of my job when I get to see the students fully grasp a concept – the light bulb goes on,” said Cardona.

Growing up in the same neighborhood, she knows what the kids in her classroom face everyday.  She relates to their challenges and strengths, which gives her the ability to connect with them and provide them with hope.

“I know what it is to have a hard time learning a new language,” she explained, “I know what it is to struggle in school.  I know what it is to live in gang infested areas.  I know what it is to live in poverty.  I know the frustration of trying to do homework in a cramped apartment with several family members.  I know what it is to be evicted from your home because your parents couldn’t pay the rent.  I know how the education system does not always serve the needs of children.”

“My goal is for the students I teach to come back five or six years later and tell me that I had an impact on them.” said Cardona.

Cerritos College’s Teacher TRAC program offers many services, programs, and pathways for students interested in teaching K-12. For students interested in becoming an elementary school teacher, Teacher TRAC’s flagship program is a partnership with California State University Long Beach. The students build professional portfolios that will help them in their university careers, and in later job interviews and lesson plans. Teacher TRAC courses maintain impressive retention rates that range from 80% to 100%.

Cerritos College’s Training Academy (TRAC) program received the 2005 Exemplary Program Award from the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. Since 2001, there have been more than 90 Teacher TRAC-credentialed graduates of California State University, Long Beach; Jackie Cardona excelling as just one of them.

As a student in the integrated, standards-based Teacher TRAC/CSULB program, students can earn their bachelor’s degree and multiple subject teaching credentials and complete their student teaching within four years. For more information about the program, visit www.teachertrac.com.