English Teacher at Arvin High School
Class of 2018
English Major with English Education Emphasis, Chicano Studies & Spanish Minors
By Kirstin Rizk, English Intern
Though she graduated from CSUCI with a Bachelor’s degree as recently as 2018, published author and high school English teacher Jackie Espinoza has found success in each professional endeavor she has felt called to. With titles such as Migrant Education Recruiter, Community Liaison, and now 9th Grade English Teacher, Jackie has always been drawn to roles working with youth and building her community.
At first, she wasn’t sure in what role she could best support her community. When she started at CSUCI, she thought, “Nursing is one of those ‘American Dream’ careers that we hear about growing up and I always wanted to help, so what better way than being a nurse,” but something didn’t quite feel right. So, her second semester, she took one course for nursing and one course for English. Noir Fiction taught by Sean Carswell won out. As exemplified in his course, English is about engaging with one another and using writing to share perspectives. Engagement with literature and learning would remain a core value for Jackie, as she changed her major to English with an emphasis in education.
Looking back, perhaps Jackie has practiced teaching from a young age. When she would travel to Mexico, her cousins always asked her to teach them English. Teaching, facilitating communication, and breaking down language barriers have grown to be pillars of Jackie’s success. Ultimately, she would complete minors in both Chicano Studies and Spanish, each of which have served her well in the professional sphere.
In Dr. Vose's class Writing as a Reflective Practice, Jackie wrote a paper about struggles at the border, but the project didn’t feel complete. The project took a new and greater form when she built on it for her Capstone project, a critical piece of wrapping up a Bachelor’s degree in CI’s English Program. This piece would then become be her first book. Earn Your Stars and Stripes is a short, realistic fiction novel telling four separate stories orienting readers to real issues that Mexican-Americans faced in four different periods of time.
While at Channel Islands, Jackie participated in the Leaders in Educational Awareness Program, served as a student assistant for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and was a writing tutor for the Writing and Multiliteracy Center. She is confident that each of these experiences have contributed to the professional success she would find soon after. She also felt very supported during the writing and publishing process of her book, as she had cheerleaders from many of the organizations she was a part of. In fact, the EOP used her book during their summer bridge for two years.
Before her Bachelor’s degree was completed, Jackie was looking to secure a job so she’d have an income as soon as she graduated and got back to her hometown in the Bakersfield area. While in the EOP Center, a potential employer called her back and she interviewed. The interviewer, Myra, found that she didn’t have some of the required background for the position which disqualified her. However, Myra was impressed by Jackie’s work at the EOP and as a tutor, along with her degree, minors, and most of all, Jackie’s personality. So, Myra sent her resume and recommendation over to the director of their area’s Migrant Education Program and Jackie interviewed and was hired.
First, she worked as a Migrant Education Recruiter, door knocking to see if there were families in need of resources and sending an application on their behalf. If accepted, she’d return to facilitate resources to ensure children in migrant families had the basic things required to pursue an education (like eyeglasses, for example). Once promoted to Community Liaison, she had more responsibilities related to supporting the whole family. In one instance, it included facilitating the repair of a roof caving in over a family with five children. Often, she would help by translating and helping to complete paperwork.
“Another parent… Her son was in fourth grade, I believe, and he was diagnosed with autism. And she was undocumented. And it was very hard because she was afraid to speak out over certain things in regards to her son, and had difficulty filling out paperwork for resources for him…that was something that was so small to me, because obviously, I speak English, so it was easy for me to fill out paperwork.”
Jackie found an appreciation for things we don’t often think about and but can create real barriers for others. She felt good about the work she was doing
The Migrant Education Program would later implemented her book into a few of their programs.
She worked with the Migrant Education Program for three years, and for half of that time, she worked at AmeriCorps as well, mentoring high school students. While still employed, she applied for the credential program at CSU Bakersfield and applied to a teaching position at Alvin High School. To Jackie’s surprise, the principal reached out. Despite not yet having her teaching credential, the principal was impressed with her work with the Migrant Education Program. During a teacher shortage, he felt Jackie had excellent skills and experience that made up for her pending credential, and the two agreed that she would start teaching in August of 2021 while working on her credential.
Now, Jackie teaches English at Arvin High, coaches softball, and spends her evenings and weekends split between grading and working on her credential program. She loves bringing the element of engagement to her classes and getting students interested in reading. Many of the students Jackie works with are reading at lower levels, partly because they do not practice reading. She loves to choose books that will peak student’s interest so they might find a love of reading and engage with one another about their readings.
When asked for tips for soon-to-be graduates, Jackie answered (and exemplified) as follows: “It doesn't matter if you feel like you're qualified or not qualified for an opportunity. Just apply for it, Because you never know… you never know who might end up reading your resume.”
Email: espinoza.jackie16@gmail.com