Cecelia Morales didn’t always want to be a sixth-grade teacher. When she first came to FGCU, she had other ideas. But after her first semester, she realized that her true love was working with kids and being in schools. So she switched directions and never looked back.

It’s hard to say what her favorite COE experience has been. It may have been the “crazy fun” day she spent teaching an ESOL lesson to local elementary students. Or that time she dressed up as a gumball machine to chaperone a sixth-grade Halloween dance. Or maybe it was teaching English and culture in Hungary while studying abroad. Or perhaps it was the day she taught her first solo lesson and realized, “I’m actually getting through to students” using the skills she learned in her classes. Cecelia has had so many life-changing moments at FGCU it’s impossible to pick just one.

While here, Cecelia didn’t limit her enthusiasm to COE pursuits, either. She has been involved in clubs and volunteer organizations and even found a job working at the Food Forest, an on-campus permaculture garden sustainably growing food. As a Southwest Florida native, she plans on staying in the area, teaching either language arts or science to local sixth graders. With the connections she’s made at FGCU, she feels she’ll have many options to choose from.