With our teacher pathways, FES strives to address the teacher shortage in the state of California by developing high-quality 21st-century educators to support our language learners across the state. Our post-secondary program recruits college students, and working adults interested in becoming teachers. Future teacher candidates are set up for success as they participate in our teacher pathways and receive individualized student support, in-house advising, and an array of platforms for test preparation. 

 

The path Jaqueline Garcia Pelayo took to get here was not easy.

 

But as she looks around now, it’s clear it was worth it.

 

Enduring the challenges of being a first-generation student and overcoming barriers at home, Garcia Pelayo knew she wanted to teach. But she had precious little guidance on how to pursue that path.

 

A lack of educational knowledge is common among first-generation students (those without a parent who completed a four-year college degree). Many students from migrant families face the same challenges. Both identities apply to Garcia Pelayo. But with an abundance of grit and some timely help from programs within the Butte County Office of Education, she began to not only find her footing in her career, but to start carving a path for other students with similar backgrounds. Now, Garcia Pelayo serves as a lead instructor in BCOE’s Future Educator Support (FES) program. FES designs and delivers migrant education programs and provides guidance and access for individuals interested in becoming teachers.

 

“I have so much passion for this work because I went through a lot of the same challenges our own clients and students go through,” said Garcia Pelayo, who recently won the BCOE Superintendent’s Award, a special recognition honoring an employee’s contributions to the organization. “It was really a struggle having to juggle so much. But because of it, I feel like I can be a support for someone who’s having that same struggle.”

 

At 18, Garcia Pelayo moved out of her parents’ home, where she said she felt tension constantly. It came from a combination of her father’s culturally “machista” beliefs, she said, and her family’s lack of understanding about how to pursue her education. If she needed to stay at school late or use the library after school hours, her father couldn’t understand why and would get frustrated.

 

“They knew school was important, but didn’t know how to be supportive,” she said. “I was struggling to do what I felt was the right thing.”

 

Garcia Pelayo saw no other choice but to embark on her own to pursue her goal of becoming a teacher. And then, right away, it became expensive. At first she rented a place with roommates, but struggled to work enough to support herself. She continued to support her parents back home while pursuing her bachelor’s degree at California State University, Fullerton. Soon, Garcia Pelayo sought a more affordable living situation, renting a garage in Los Angeles.

 

Every day, she’d politely ask the tenants of the attached house to use the shower. It was also, of course, without a kitchen. She dined out almost exclusively–In N Out, Pepe’s (a Mexican restaurant), or McDonald’s were her more frequent options. She often spent more hours at Starbucks doing homework than she did at home.

 

“I felt like quitting. It was so hard to afford it all, to juggle it all at once,” Garcia Pelayo said. “But I said, ‘No.’ I decided to keep going because I had nothing else to fall back on.”

 

It was then, as an undergrad, that she saw an opportunity to add more income as a tutor. She joined the California Mini-Corps, one of BCOE’s largest and oldest statewide programs.

 

Once Garcia Pelayo started working with the Mini-Corps, she found her groove. She was still commuting nearly two hours daily to get to school. But now she was also more firmly entrenched on her education path. She finally had peers who were on it with her, who had similar backgrounds. As she built those relationships, she came to relish Mini-Corps’ monthly in-services meetings, where she and her cohort met students, worked on professional development, and built bonds together.

 

At Mini-Corps, Garcia Pelayo met Ana Barron Viana, then a tutor. She is now an FES advisor and project manager with the Orange County Department of Education. Barron Viana was instantly impressed by the shy but obviously kind Mini-Corps newcomer.

“Some people, you genuinely can tell that they are a nice human being right away. Jackie is one of those people,” Barron Viana said. “I have always been amazed at her work ethic, how passionate she is, and especially how deeply she cares for migrant education. Every time she does something, it’s with full dedication, and to the best of her abilities.”

 

 

Quickly, Garcia Pelayo demonstrated to her Mini-Corps cohort and leaders that she deserved to take on more responsibility in the program. In 2016, after six years, she completed her bachelor’s degree, and once again faced the same question: “Now what?”

 

She felt more convicted than ever that she wanted to be an educator, and that’s when her Mini-Corps coordinator, Josephino Gonzalez, suggested she pursue a path with FES. At that time, FES was still in a nascent stage, with its senior director Guillermo Castillo having just established an online credential partnership with San Diego State University. In 2017, Garcia Pelayo transitioned to a full-time role as an educational specialist and became one of the first members of BCOE’s Teacher Credential Cohort with San Diego State, earning her bilingual credential in 2019. She played a key role in advising future teachers and developing the FES teacher pathway.

 

In 2021, she earned her master’s degree through BCOE’s partnership with SDSU, graduating with distinction. By 2023, she had advanced to a lead instructor position, teaching courses at two different colleges, developing curriculum, and supporting aspiring teachers. She also serves as the lead in communicating with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing on FES’ Classified Employee Grant.

 

Now, Garcia Pelayo and the rest of FES have programs and supports in place to help students all over the state who are in the same position she was in, just 12 years ago.

 

“I’m super grateful for everything I’ve gone through,” Garcia Pelayo said. “I can relate to other people going through their own challenges and be empathetic. What I went through was meant to be part of my story, and I think my story is about how I can help others.”