About Me

My name is Elizabeth Mesillas, I am the daughter of two Mexican immigrants and the first person on both sides of my family to graduate from a university. I learned from a very young age about what it meant to work hard for money, because every break I had from school I would go with my mom to work as a housekeeper. While at the time I dreaded having to go clean someone else's house, I look back at that experience and smile; it was those summers of hard worked which pushed me to stay in school and work towards a career which didn't require a toilet brush or a vacuum. Most of the people which my mom had worked for were teachers, and I can remember looking around their houses thinking, "I want to have a house like this some day!" School became my sanctuary because it meant no scrubbing bathrooms, and from a very young age I understood (thanks to the constant lectures from my mom) that school was the way to success. I passed every grade as an average student and when it was time to graduate from High School, I knew I wanted to be an Elementary school teacher, but I really had no clue what it was going to take to become one. I didn't graduate with the necessary grades to get into CSUSM like my mother expected me to do, so I had to go to Palomar College. I knew I had to go to college because that's what I had been told to do all of my life, but I really didn't care about school as an 18 year old; it wasn't until halfway through my first semester in college when my mom was mistakenly diagnosed with cancer that I got a reality check and fully dedicated myself to focusing on school. I finished my general education courses and earned my Associate's degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences and then transferred to California State University, Fullerton. CSUSM is about fifteen minutes away from my house, but I decided that I wanted to get the full college experience of living on campus and away from home, and I was lucky enough to have the money to do so, so I chose to attend CSUF, and I have to admit that it was probably the best decision I have ever made in my life. I lived on campus for one year, and commuted my last; in those two years I transformed completely and appreciated every lecture and every film that taught me something new. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and made the Dean's list about six times.
I am proud to say that I earned two college degrees in four years, and am now pursuing a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with an emphasis in Bilingual Education at CSUSM. I plan to teach for a few years as an Elementary School Teacher for a few years and then go back to school to earn a Master's degree in Education Administration to become a Principal and then hopefully a Superintendent. As a student who entered the public school system, I have seen many students who do not know English struggle, and budget crises affect the learning process.  My goal has become to not only educate future generations, but to also have the power to help teachers become the best they can be for the sake of the children.
I personally don't think I am familiar enough with technology, and quite honestly avoid it when I can. I like things the old fashioned way and get teased by my friends that I should live in the stone age. I like books versus ebooks and walking versus driving. I plan to learn as much as I can from this class, again, for the sake of my future students. I am ready to embrace technology fully, the good the bad and the ugly!
CSUSM's Mission Statement was not a factor in making me want to attend this program; financially, it makes more sense for me to attend this university versus CSUF which is an hour and fifteen minutes away. I have no doubt that this program will help me not only find my dream job, but also shape me to be a great educator. I look forward to uniting communities through education and inspire all of my students to embrace and engage their curiosities through research.