Carolina Aguasanta '08Ed

“My intellectual growth and leadership ability have been greatly enhanced by the experiences and people I’ve met at St. John’s,” says Carolina Aguasanta ’08 Ed. Now a site manager for the national early literacy organization, Jumpstart, Carolina is responsible for training college students to work with young children from low income families to build language, literacy and social relations skills from pre-school age. She believes it was the care and guidance of the School of Education faculty that got her to where she is today: “In part, I attribute my success as a site manager to the mentorship and dedication of The School of Education faculty and administration.”

Carolina says the warm welcoming environment of The School of Education is what she loved most about attending the University, “Right away, I was welcomed into The School of Education as a member of its closely-knit family.  It is truly my alma mater.” Carolina mentions Assistant Dean Charisse Willis as being her faculty mentor who encouraged her to pursue her dreams of working with children and inspired her to make a difference in the lives of others: “Under the guidance of my faculty mentor, Charisse Willis, I achieved and exceeded many of the dreams and expectations I had of college. Dean Willis was my role model; an important source of valuable information; and most importantly, the person who helped me realize my potential. She nurtured my creativity, thoughtfully received my ideas and encouraged me to be a leader.”

Being a member of the St. John’s community influenced Carolina to live out the Vincentian mission of serving others long after graduation, “At St. John’s I learned that in order to bring about meaningful change in another person’s life, you must show them that you care. Working for Jumpstart has given me the chance to show the children we work with that I care about their well-being and futures.”