Name: Alejandra Gonzalez
Major: EC-6 Bilingual Education
Year: 4th year senior
Her Campus Texas: Why did you pick your major?
AG: I chose my major because I have such a passion for education, which I would love to have the privilege of sharing with our youth.
HCTX: What do you love most about it?
AG: Well, since a very young age my parents always emphasized the importance of a good education to my siblings and I. They also talked about leaving a positive impact for those who come after us, which is something that I would like to do through teaching. Through my career, I hope to impact as many lives as I can and give every student the tools and confidence to succeed academically and achieve all their goals.
HCTX: Did you always know this was what you wanted to do?
AG: When I was 8 and 9, I would get my little cousins to gather around while my mom made copies of old workbooks. Armed with simple math worksheets and an old chalkboard, I would pretend I was the teacher and they were my students. Needless to say, I have always known I’ve wanted to teach.
HCTX: Could you talk a bit about your community service work as well as your passion for community service? When did the passion begin?
AG: Giving back is something that I have always been interested in. I have always been involved in clubs with community service at the forefront. My passion began in high school, when I was asked to tutor children from my community. The gratifying feeling I got from giving back to my community was enough to keep me searching for new opportunities to help out!
HCTX: Could you talk about your activity in organizations on campus?
AG: I am the Chief Membership Officer of a service sorority on campus called Chi Beta Delta. Our main focus is an infusion of sisterhood and service. We complete 30+ hours of volunteer hours a semester; our main philanthropy is Foster’s Angels, which allows us to work with children in the foster home system. I am also a part of the IE Pre-graduate school internship. Through this program, undergraduate students get to work hand in hand with Graduate students in their field of interest. I have learned so much about grad school by working with my mentors; I have also had the privilege of presenting in two conferences with my mentors and presenting my own research this Fall in a Bilingual Education conference.
HCTX: What are your goals for after graduation?
AG: My short-term goals are taking the GRE, applying for grad school and getting a job with a program like Teach for America.
HCTX: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
AG: I definitely see myself teaching at the university level in the long run. I would love to acquire my Masters and Doctoral degree either from UT or UCLA in the near future. Once I’m a professor, I want to teach other passionate individuals how to teach children in both their native language and English.
HCTX: What do you like to do in your free time (not that you seem to have much, get it girl!)?
AG: I love to spend time with my sorority sisters and my roommates. I also love to go dancing, visit my family and go shopping when I get the chance! Happy hour is always on the table after a long day working, as well! It’s really important to me to find time to do the things I love even when it can seem impossible schedule-wise. A little girls night out is definitely necessary sometimes to balance everything out!
HCTX: Hey! That actually brings me to my next question: how do you balance it all? Could you give other multitaskin’ gals some tips? It ain’t easy!
AG: Be organized; make a lot of lists and reward yourself with personal time off doing things you love like yoga at Black Swan! Remember, do one thing at a time and don’t get ahead of yourself! Also, know where your priorities stand and what’s truly important to you. This will help you remember why you took on so much in the first place. The most important thing is to keep healthy snacks at hand and take care of your personal health; a healthy body is a productive one!