My Educational Journey as a Drexel Dragon

My name is Juliana Oberto. I am a 2025 Drexel graduate with a Master of Science in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum and a PreK-4th Grade Certification. I graduated in May 2020 with my undergraduate degree in educational studies and a minor in social work from King's College. I decided to further my education to better myself in the hopes of finding and establishing my ideal career.

After graduating from undergrad, I worked in an early childcare setting where I was a PreK counts assistant teacher. This is where I was first introduced to the TEACH program. The TEACH program makes it possible for working, early learning professionals to obtain a debt-free college education as well as receive support to become a stronger educator and earn substantial wages. This can be a challenge for many people, especially those who have a career that consumes the majority of their days. When I found out about the aspects of the TEACH program, I felt relief that furthering my career and being able to work was possible.

Attending Drexel was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

As I began looking into schools that worked with the program, I found Drexel and was intrigued with their Education Department. It did not take me long to make the decision to become a Drexel Dragon and get started on my master's degree. I was finally seeing the career path of my dreams become a reality.

As the years progressed, I was promoted to a PreK counts lead at my center. While this was exciting and a big step for me, I faced challenges some days in balancing working full-time and going to school full-time. It was a lot of responsibility and dedication. Some nights were longer than others, but I was persistent in finishing my degree.

Attending Drexel was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The online courses allowed me to pace myself while completing the weekly coursework. Another benefit was that I was able to do some of my fieldwork requirements in my own organization. My professors and advisors at Drexel, as well as TEACH, worked well with me and were always willing to answer any questions I had.

Working and going to school allowed me to connect my learning to real-life experiences as I was in my own classroom. With this, I was able to apply new techniques and ultimately enhance my skill set to become an educator who will make a lasting impact on my students.

Now that I have graduated, I look back at all the challenges I faced and see that everything was worth it, because now I am on my way to achieving my ultimate goal of being a teacher. The feeling of success was well worth it, and the TEACH program and Drexel University made that possible.