A lifelong love of teaching coupled with her experience at UCF has led Mariana Espinosa ’24 to a newly minted career in education.
BY EVAN CHIOVARI '21
As a new social studies teacher, Mariana Espinosa ’24 is committed to giving her students a deeper understanding of world history and geography.
Ever since she was little, Mariana Espinosa ’24 knew she wanted to be a teacher. As a young student in Colombia, she loved her teachers and dreamed of following in their footsteps. It’s a dream that only intensified when she moved to the United States in 2015.
Fast forward nine years, and that dream has finally come true. After graduating with her bachelor’s in secondary education with a specialization in social sciences this past spring, Espinosa just began her first year teaching world history to sixth-grade students at Odyssey Middle School in Orlando.
Espinosa’s specialization also equips her to teach a subject she believes is not taught enough in the U.S. — geography, something she is very passionate about.
“You’d be surprised: A lot of people here don’t know where Colombia is, or they don’t know about other countries in general,” Espinosa says. “I want to help kids in the United States learn about other countries, people and cultures.”
Espinosa attended a private school in Colombia, where she says academic standards are high and students learn concepts by heart — not just to pass tests.
“I was so lucky to have that experience,” Espinosa says. “In Colombia, private school offers a better education and leads to more job opportunities.”
When Espinosa and her family relocated to the U.S., she experienced various aspects of American public education for the first time — larger classes, more standardized testing, and different schools for different age ranges. Although it was an adjustment from the Colombian school system, Espinosa thrived in both environments, which further encouraged her to pursue a career in education.
While at UCF, she was first exposed to the teaching atmosphere through Boots on the Ground, a program that engages education majors at UCF in service-learning hours at public schools in Orange and Seminole counties. She received even more hands-on experience through her internships. Putting classroom management techniques into practice, she helped teach U.S. history at Edgewater High School and world history at Lake Nona High School.
“It was my first time in a high school classroom not being a student,” Espinosa says. “It’s a very different perspective. I worked with amazing teachers for both internships. They taught me how to use technology to present subject matter and how to get students excited about history by connecting the past to the present.”
Espinosa also joined the Supporting Teacher Education Pre-professionals (STEP) program, where she worked with School of Teacher Education faculty members Constance Goodman and Lee-Anne Spalding as a peer mentor. She represented UCF for prospective students, hosting informational Zoom sessions for interested applicants and their families.
Spalding says Espinosa has always had a passion for collaborating with others and supporting learning.
“Mariana’s passion for social studies is admirable, and I have no doubt her enthusiasm for education will be contagious in her classrooms,” Spalding says. “Her students are very lucky to have her.”
Goodman agrees, saying she noticed Espinosa’s aptitude for teaching from the very beginning.
“Mariana’s leadership skills stood above her peers, which is why I asked her to work as a student assistant and peer mentor,” Goodman says. “She has been an asset to our school and STEP.”
As a first-year teacher, Espinosa says she plans to incorporate what she has learned into her classroom by collaborating with her team and her professional learning community.
“Being a teacher isn’t just about giving students information,” Espinosa says. “It’s about working with other faculty and staff to make sure students thrive. I want to help my students understand the importance of what they’re learning and see them grow into successful young adults.”