Assistant Teacher Earns Degree

posted 5/8/23 -- Steve Ortiz grew up with great role models and realized he would like to repay that gift by working to become one himself.

“I have always been told that I would be great working with children,” he said, “so I decided not only to make that a career but a passion for learning and understanding the next generation of children I have the opportunity to teach.”

Ortiz reached a milestone in that journey by earning his bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Toledo. He joined the LCCAA Head Start staff in 2017 and has worked at Hopkins-Locke and in collaborative classrooms in Lorain City Schools. He previously earned his associate’s degree from Lorain County Community College.

“Thankfully, the degree was done online, allowing me to utilize my time to the best of my ability while working three jobs,” Ortiz said. “It wasn’t easy but I managed to pull it off with hard work and determination.”

Ortiz completed the university’s Fast Track program to gain a deeper understanding of how to support children’s learning.

“The journey in this program helped me develop and reflect a deep understanding of adult learning and how to apply what I have learned to my teaching career,” he said. “I now have the proper certification to guide and handle children so that they may have a bright future by implementing all of the ideas I have learned throughout this program.”