GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION - FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 Student Speakers Luis André Ramirez Mandy Grootwassink LUIS ANDRÉ RAMIREZ is graduating with a Master in Education, a degree he chose to help “shape young people into empathetic, global citizens.” Mr. Ramirez’s accolades include receiving the Oregon College Savings Plan Education Celebration Scholarship and the Oregon Teacher Scholars Program Scholarship. Prior to enrolling in the PSU College of Education, Mr. Ramirez volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps in Paraguay, serving rural families, schools, government agencies, and businesses. Currently, he is working as an eighthgrade Spanish immersion teacher, and he plans to teach at a school designated as Title I (a high-poverty school receiving federal support) where he says he can inspire students who look like him and can relate to him. He plans to show them that they can achieve their dreams, just as important people in his life showed him he could achieve his goals. Mr. Ramirez is the child of a Colombian father and Guatemalan mother who came to the United States in the mid-1980’s. They both died when he was still young, but he says that they left him a strong supporter and role model his grandmother. He wants to thank her, his late parents, his uncle, and brothers for believing in him and making his dreams possible. MANDY GROOTWASSINK is graduating with a Master in Science in special education. Ms. Grootwassink has received honors including a federal student grant called Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education. Working in a full-time teaching position while attending graduate school in the PSU College of Education was one of her greatest challenges, but she says that the challenge has brought out the best in her and given her strength. The most memorable experience that Ms. Grootwassink had while at PSU was her master’s project as a counselor at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp for people with disabilities. She said the accepting, positive atmosphere helped reinforce her decision to focus on special education. She may pursue a doctorate degree in her field in the future, but in the present, she is focused on teaching — and on her artwork. In addition to being a teacher, she is a professional artist, who has done work for Pabst Blue Ribbon and the Portland Trail Blazers. The child of a supportive Midwest family, her parents imbued Ms. Grootwassink with the confidence to achieve, and her grandparents, both farmers, instilled in her the importance of hard work. She wants to thank her family members and teachers for supporting her along the way, especially her partner, Mitchell; and her mom, Julie. 7
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