Social Justice & Community

For future teachers, state funding puts dreams within reach

A four-year grant is removing financial barriers and creating professional pathways for students in UC Santa Cruz’s Master of Arts in Education and Teaching Credential program.

May 30, 2025

By Allison Arteaga Soergel

Carmen Garcia first felt called to the teaching profession back when she was a teenager roaming the halls of Aptos High School. 

Even at the time, she recognized how crucial those high school years were for helping students discover who they are and what they could become. Looking back on it now, she says her own high school experience was truly transformational, thanks in large part to the many wonderful teachers who helped her grow, both academically and personally. 

“During my time in high school, I told those around me that I would come back to teach at Aptos High School one day,” she recalls. “I will be honest and say that I had absolutely no idea how I would come back, but deep in my heart, I knew that I would. I believe that we are all born with a purpose, and mine is teaching.” 

Garcia has since followed that calling, which led her to enroll in UC Santa Cruz’s Master of Arts in Education and Teaching Credential program. This past year, as part of her training, she was able to fulfill her promise of returning to Aptos High School, where she helped to teach 9th grade biology. She says the opportunity has exceeded even her wildest expectations. 

“Every moment, from the smiles to the breakthroughs to the energy of the students, has reaffirmed why I am here,” she says. “This experience has been nothing short of extraordinary.” 

Garcia is now preparing to graduate in July, with plans to become a full-time science teacher, and a state grant program has played a pivotal role in helping her to pursue her dreams. 

Opening doors to the teaching profession

Garcia was part of the first annual cohort of UC Santa Cruz teacher trainees to complete a full-year paid teacher residency with local K-12 schools, thanks to state grant funding. For the next three school years, an additional twelve UCSC trainees per year will receive paid stipends of more than $34,000 for teacher residencies at schools within Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Salinas Union High School District, and Santa Cruz City Schools. 

All students in UC Santa Cruz’s master’s and teaching credential program participate in student teaching placements, where they gain real-world experience by working alongside seasoned classroom teachers. However, this work is usually unpaid, undertaken purely for training purposes. The new teacher residency program is different because it allows trainees to be compensated for the time they spend supporting local school districts, which helps remove financial barriers to the teaching profession. 

“Training to become a teacher requires people to take a year out of their lives to invest in their education, and for some people, that just wouldn’t be an option, with their family and financial responsibilities,” explained Soleste Hilberg, director of teacher education in UC Santa Cruz’s Education Department. “That is a major equity concern. But the income that people can receive through this program goes a long way toward opening the door to the profession for a much broader range of individuals.”

Many regions of the state are currently facing teacher shortages, which makes it especially essential to successfully recruit more new teachers into the profession. The stipend funding through the teacher residency program is not considered financial aid, Hilberg explained, which means that participating students are also still eligible for grants, student loans, and scholarships to help cover the costs of their education and living expenses. 

Serving local communities

Another advantage of the teacher residency program is that it allows trainees to stay with the same class for the entire school year, instead of performing two separate student teaching placements. Teacher residents are also considered school district employees, which gives them access to a fuller range of school activities than a typical student teaching placement. 

This arrangement gives school districts a better chance to get to know highly-qualified pre-service teachers. Trainees build strong bonds with students and become deeply familiar with the culture and procedures of a particular school. If there’s a good fit, trainees sometimes go straight into jobs at their residency schools after graduation and credentialing.  

“There’s a huge benefit to the school district when they can hire someone who they know and who already knows how the school district works,” Hilberg said. “When teachers start their career in a familiar environment, that helps them be better-prepared as first-year teachers, and early-career success is associated with reduced attrition. New teachers may also be more likely to stay long term with a particular district if they trained there, simply because they have already become a part of that community.”

So far, as the teacher residency program wraps up its first year, local schools have been happy with the results. The Pajaro Valley Education Foundation recently named Hilberg a Community Partner of the Year for her “instrumental” role in helping to secure grant funding for the teacher residency program and facilitate yearly recruitment of residents. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District sees the teacher residency program as an important means of building community, prioritizing local students, and supporting the next generation of aspiring educators. 

“It has been a very positive experience for the students, the resident, and the cooperating teacher,” said Peggy Pughe, executive director of teaching and learning for the school district. “It’s truly a win-win-win.”

Carmen Garcia can attest to that. She says her time as a teaching resident at Aptos High School has been a profound learning experience that set her on the path to success as an educator. 

“The teacher residency program has given me the opportunity to grow into the teacher that I am today,” she said. “Being a teacher has been more than teaching content; it has been creating a community and welcoming space for every student. As a teacher who seeks to implement education that is accessible, rewarding, and challenging, I have learned from my students as much as they have learned from me.”