Debbie Estrada

Student

“Teaching is not something that most people look at as a ‘dream profession.’ For me it is.”

Winner of the Edna Ackerman scholarship award, Debbie Estrada would seem to have it all going her way. “I’ve been accepted by UCLA and UC Santa Cruz,” she says. “But I’ve chosen Santa Cruz because I think it’ll be a healthy change.” But her road toward the ultimate goal of a masters degree from UCLA wasn’t always so “full steam ahead.”

“I first went to SMC right out of high school,” she recalls. But she felt uncertain about her direction and decided to go to work. “I worked in the garment industry, in publishing and in sales,” says Debbie. “But now I’m coming back, a little older and wiser, and my focus is definitely on my studies. And SMC is really a great place to start over again.” Debbie is an English major who is “reading a lot of short stories, taking creative writing, and studying poetry.”

But the real goal of her involvment in language and expression is to one day share her enthusiasm as a teacher. “I know I can make a difference by teaching teenagers,” she says. “I feel I have something younger students will be able to relate to. And I’d like to be a good influence on a younger generation. Teaching isn’t something I’ve always wanted to do,” she adds. “But I’ve been in a lot of situations where I’ve helped people in study groups and I’ve found that I just really enjoy it.”

SMC has been “a great place to move back into learning,” says Debbie. “It’s just the right size and it allows me to really get to know my teachers.” With her Ackerman award, she feels she’s definitely ready to move on to Santa Cruz, “where I plan to spend that award money very quickly and very wisely.”

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