ARI R. COLONDRES, M.A.
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Educator
  • Leader
  • Author
  • Blog
  • Mango Cam
Education:
​Doctor of Education - University of the Pacific - December 2022
Master of Arts - Curriculum & Instruction - University of Colorado - May 2014
Bachelor of Arts - Social Science - San Diego State University - May 2008

Licensures:
Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist
Secondary English
Secondary Social Studies
​English Learner Authorization

Memberships:
​International Literacy Association
Picture
​When I was sixteen years old, my life turned upside down. My mom moved my two brothers and me into a domestic abuse shelter. I had to leave everything I knew behind, suddenly having to change high schools and make new friends. After the shelter, we moved around a lot. I attended a total of three different high schools in three different cities. This was a lonely and scary time for me, and I found myself at a crossroads. Down one path, I saw a future similar to my mother’s; opportunities limited by a lack of education. It was then I realized my only way off that path was to excel in my studies. Education served as a beacon of hope for a boundless future; as a result, I decided that I would succeed no matter what happened. Consequently, I am the first person in my family to graduate from college.

Thinking back, I always seemed to have had a knack for breaking down big concepts and explaining things to people so that they could understand. I remember the joy and personal satisfaction I felt tutoring elementary students and mentoring campers at a sleep-away camp. I have seen firsthand how influential a teacher can be. After all, it was a middle school teacher who believed in my writing and told me I had real talent that fueled my desire to write and to give back to my community as a teacher. I have come to realize that teaching to the whole child needs to be at the center of everything we do as educators.
© COPYRIGHT 2021. Ari Raymond Colondres
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Educator
  • Leader
  • Author
  • Blog
  • Mango Cam