Student Spotlights

Margaret Aston - Single Subject/Masters Program Candidate

For me, Mount Saint Mary’s was a beacon in a storm. At a tumultuous time in my life I was able to go back to school to get my teaching credential and find a safe haven where I was enveloped in an atmosphere of care and understanding and learning. The Mount gave me the opportunity to see past my own problems and realize the greater needs of the world and how I could serve others as a teacher to meet some of those needs. All of my instructors were strong, intellectual, and beautiful women who guided me with their purposefulness and light and I feel honored to try and follow in their footsteps.

Everything about the Mount, particularly the Doheny campus where I was a student, is inviting. The parking lot attendant always greeted me with enthusiasm and joyousness; the administrative offices weren’t “administrative” in the slightest. After all, how could they be when housed in a mansion? Guidance counseling with advisors was carried out in the “drawing room” of one of the Victorian houses. Talks about graduation requirements were like going to meet with a favorite aunt and transported you to another time where there are no worries about the traffic, bills, children, or jobs. But at the same time, the campus was modern. The technology and computer labs were completely 21st century. The eatery served delicious and eco-conscious food. The campus and the individuals who work there create a real sense of serenity. It is a wonderful environment to learn in.

The credentialing program is superb! I feel so much more qualified than a lot of my peers who went through other credentialing programs offered in Los Angeles. I’m always amazed at how “ahead of the curve” the Mount’s program is. It really prepares its candidates for the new and unknown challenges that teachers will face as technology and the diversity of the student population continues to expand. I feel that they really “practice what they preach” and they gave us assignments that utilized teaching methods, like authentic assessment, that we would be using in our classrooms.

I now recommend the Mount to my students, especially the ones that are a bit shy or unsure of themselves: perhaps even the ones with low self-esteem. I know that they won’t be lost on campus and not only will their minds be nourished but their souls will as well.