SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union gift expands support for future educators at The Beach

For special education teacher Sara Martinez Barajas ‘09, ‘24, the annual Educators Summit is a time to build knowledge and refresh connections she made at Cal State Long Beach.

“I find a lot of ideas to take back to my classroom,” she said, adding that she can also share what she learns at the event with her colleagues at the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District.

“I’m always advocating for more professional development for special education,” Martinez Barajas also said. “You can’t have too much of that. And inclusion.”

The Educators Summit is a summertime event that takes place here in line with the campus’ membership in the CSU Center to Close the Opportunity Gap. A new gift from SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union will help organizers invite more students and alumni to the event, which assembles experts to spread knowledge of effective teaching practices.

SchoolsFirst FCU's gift will also fund student-led events as well as improvements for the Student Engagement Center, a space for College of Education students to convene their own happenings or to find calm and camaraderie.  

The credit union and the college use the umbrella term Holistic Educator Engagement to describe their plans for this gift. The objective is to reenergize campus life for the post-pandemic era, creating meaningful interactions for students, alumni and educators.

“I just love that SchoolsFirst FCU is supporting us in this way,” College of Education Dean Anna Ortiz said. “It’s a new direction for the College of Education.”

The CSU Center to Close the Opportunity Gap, established in 2020 with Cal State Long Beach as the leading member, brings four California State University campuses together to promote equity within TK-12 education. Its methods include sharing knowledge through an online research clearinghouse and the Education Summit. Professionals from many school districts, including those serving the Long Beach and Los Angeles areas, have attended the event.

The new support will help organizers to host an expanded lineup of informational sessions and to welcome a greater number of students and alumni to future events. This year’s summit is set for July 25.

“Absolutely go, they always have a really great speaker,” Martinez Barajas said. “I guarantee they’re going to have something of interest to them. They have something for everybody.”

The summit can also be a time to reunite with professors and alumni.

“It’s fun to run into everybody again and see the students that I went to classes with that were in my cohort,” she said.

The Student Engagement Center, to be renamed in honor of SchoolsFirst FCU, is a place for students to host the likes of workshops or networking gatherings. Planned improvements include couches, televisions, and a kitchenette, so the center will also be a place to study, relax and bond.

“It’s good dialogue,” said Micaiah Satterwhite, student engagement specialist. “We support you in all your needs, but it’s also a place where you can print and hang out.”

Students would have keypad access to use the center during later hours. That would be important, Ortiz said, since many College of Education students take evening courses after spending working through the daylight hours at local schools.

Whatever the hour, it’s good for College of Education students to have an on-campus spot where they know they will be welcome.

“I feel like this place really does what it needs to do, bring a sense of community back to campus,” said Minh Nguyen, a third-year history and German student already seeking a teaching credential.

Nguyen aspires to become a history teacher. He commutes to The Beach from Westminster and is a member of Caminantes for Education, a student group that meets at the center. He appreciates College of Education students having a place of their own to spend time instead of leaving campus as soon as classes are over.

SchoolsFirst FCU’s new gift builds on the credit union’s long-standing support for the College of Education. SchoolsFirst FCU has also helped the college to offer the UTEACH (Urban Teaching Academy) and Urban Dual Credential Programs, the latter of which enables aspiring teachers to simultaneously pursue teaching credentials for special and general education classrooms. The credit union has also helped The Beach’s aspiring teachers receive guidance and clinical instruction from mentor teachers.

“At SchoolsFirst FCU, we serve school employees and their families by helping them achieve financial well-being,” said Josh Smith, vice president, school and community relations at SchoolsFirst FCU. “Our longstanding partnership with CSU Long Beach College of Education extends our support to future educators, staff and school employees whose contributions make a lasting impact on schools, students and the community.”