Not every college student chooses a traditional route for their\neducation. Some opt to enjoy a gap year working or traveling after high school,\nwhile others return to the classroom well after they have established careers\nor families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Debbie Orifici is one such student. She adopted a \u201cbetter late than never\u201d attitude when it came to chasing her childhood dream of becoming a teacher, leaving behind 22 years as a flight attendant, and started working as a preschool teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite her love of teaching, Debbie soon realized that there was a lot more to teaching young children than she initially thought. She began exploring her educational opportunities and discovered the Early Childhood Education program at St. Petersburg College<\/a><\/strong>. SPC offers an Associate in Science Degree in Early Childhood Education as well as three different short-term certificates as part of the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, after more than 30 years away from the classroom (at\nleast one where she wasn\u2019t teaching), Debbie was slightly intimidated by the\nthought of trying to balance college and her job as a preschool teacher, but she\npersevered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Debbie credits her husband of more than 28 years for supporting\nher on her way to academic success, and the encouraging community of faculty,\nstaff and classmates she found at the college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAny doubts I had of getting my degree dissolved when I walked\nthrough the doors of St. Petersburg College in the fall of 2016. Throughout my\njourney, I have received endless support and encouragement from everyone at\nSPC,\u201d Debbie said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her journey at SPC will soon be coming to an end, as Debbie is\nprojected to complete her degree during the upcoming Summer 2020 semester.\nShe\u2019s excited for the future, a future that St. Petersburg College helped\nprepare her for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Early Childhood Education courses I\u2019ve taken have given me\nthe tools I need to guide and nurture young children using Developmentally\nAppropriate Practices through intentional teaching,\u201d Debbie said. \u201cI see every\nday the positive impact I am making in the lives of these young children\u2014one\nthat will last them a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Debbie was highlighted for this student profile as part of Career & Technical Education (CTE) Month at St. Petersburg College. To learn more about the different CTE degrees and certificates that SPC offers, please visit stpe.co\/WorkforceEd<\/a><\/strong>. If you would like to read additional student profiles for CTE Month, be sure to check out the other SPC blogs at blog.spcollege.edu<\/a><\/strong> as well as the SPC Facebook page<\/a><\/strong> and Twitter account<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not every college student chooses a traditional route for their education. Some opt to enjoy a gap year working or traveling after high school, while others return to the classroom well after they have established careers or families. Debbie Orifici is one such student. She adopted a \u201cbetter late than never\u201d attitude when it came … Continue reading Student Returns to Classroom for Early Childhood Education degree<\/span>