June 3, 2019 | UHCL Staff
When Victoria Mandujano graduated from high school, she knew she wanted to find a job in which she could use her skills to help people. She joined the U.S. Army National Guard and served for eight years, including a deployment to Iraq in 2009. After completing her associate’s degree at a community college, she considered her options for transferring to a four-year university. She chose University of Houston-Clear Lake because she knew that she’d be in small classes with the chance to connect with her professors one-on-one.
“I knew that in other universities, the class sizes were much too big for me, and at UH-Clear Lake, I would not be taught by teaching assistants,” Mandujano said. “I wanted to have the chance to connect and bond with the professors, and here, I was able to get that experience.”
The personal feedback from her professors was what she felt she needed to succeed.
“I started out with my education slowly, because I had my daughter,” she said. “I
came here unsure of what my major should be. I started in the military, and then I
asked myself, ‘What’s next? How can I change the world?’ All my pre-requisites and
interests pointed me to the College of Education.”
Once she got to UHCL, she did her first teaching internship under the supervision
of Senior Lecturer of Early Childhood Education Terry Chvala. “That experience was
amazing,” said Mandujano. “She gave me a lot of guidance and a lot of resources that
proved very effective for me when I did my second internship. She pointed out where
I could improve, and she always helped me with good suggestions. She was instrumental,
and if I was afraid of anything, I didn’t fear it after she helped.”
“Victoria is more than a teacher. She’s an awakener,” Chvala said. “The courage that
she showed in the military is evident in the classroom. Her students are in for an
awakening.”
A first-generation college student whose parents came from Mexico, Mandujano said
that she can’t stop talking about how great her professors were. “I was very blessed
with how well I was trained,” she said. “I feel like I have to be a good example for
my daughter. When she gets older, she should see nothing is an obstacle. It’s all
right to be a parent and go to school and seek your dreams. My biggest inspiration
is my daughter.”
Mandujano received her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with Core Subjects 4-8 Certification in May. “I have already been hired at Channelview Independent School District as
an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher,” she said. “When I got hired, I emailed each
of my professors to tell them I was so grateful for how they go out of their way to
make sure every student gets the experience they needed to grow into effective educators.”
Learn more about UHCL's College of Education online.
