Meet Mari Saade: Special Education Alum & Middle School Resource Specialist
Mari Saade ('17), alumna of the College of Education’s master’s degree in Special Education shares her experience about the program.
Earning my Master’s in Special Education has influenced how I interact with students and their families as well as colleagues and administrators. The coursework and class discussions helped me to challenge and expand my own worldview while also learning how to advocate for students and their families in positive and productive ways.
I am a resource specialist at Zamboni Middle School in Paramount Unified. I co-teach four language arts classes and serve as case carrier for about 25 students.
My advice for prospective students is to be fully present in your classes. It’s easy to bring work stress to campus and want to lesson plan and check emails in class, but that can lead to getting lost and falling behind in discussions and coursework. I found that unplugging from work at the end of the day helped me to grow more as a teacher in the long run because I tried to get the most out of class time.
My favorite part of being a graduate student at CSULB was having the same professors for different classes throughout the program. I felt like the faculty was strongly invested in our growth and success and were always, sometimes brutally, honest about our quality of work and progress toward each of our individual goals.
Planning to apply to the Special Education master's program?
- The online university application on Cal State Apply is due Monday, June 1
- The program application packet is due Monday, June 1 via email to the Graduate Studies Office at ced-gradstudies@csulb.edu.
- Please note the Letter of Recommendation forms and narrative letters should also be submitted directly by your recommenders via email to ced-gradstudies@csulb.edu.
